The Power of Decision
by TVDangel812
Summary: Set after the season 3 finale, Elena is forced to make two decisions she never wanted to make. What will her choices be? This is how i see the fourth season. Some Delena moments coming now, but nothing will last forever. What will elena's life be like now that she has changed? AU. Stelena story. Rated K.
1. Chapter 1

Elena was sitting on Stefan's bed with red puffy eyes, still not sure what she wanted to do about her situation. She doesn't want this. She never did. And now she's forced to make the decision between immortality or dying. She can't leave Jeremy with no one, but she doesn't know if she can live to be a vampire either.

Everything about her being a vampire freaks her out. She wanted to go to college, get married, have kids, and die. She just wanted a normal life. But then when vampires were introduced to her life, normal was no longer available. Because no matter how hard she tried vampires were now a very big part of her life. And now she was in danger of becoming one.

What would her parents think of her? What would Jenna think of her? And Alaric, would they all be disappointed in her? Or would they get over it because they loved her?

Its times like these that Elena wished she had her mom. To help her, to give her advice. And most of all just to make her feel safe, and calm. Tears started to rush to her eyes again. She wanted so desperately to stop crying and to be strong. But she just couldn't, and with Stefan holding her like he used to it was bringing back memories she wished she could relive.

"Elena, what's wrong? Why are you crying again?" Stefan's voice was very soothing and very comforting, but it did not have the same effect as her mom's did. It just made her want to cry more.

"You deserve better than this Stefan. I'm doing the same thing that Katherine did to you two. I'm stringing you two along and I don't want to make a decision between you and Damon because I don't want to lose either of you. I can't lose anyone else."

"Elena, I promise that if you don't choose me I won't let that affect my relationship with Damon, and I promise you will never loose me. No matter what."

"Okay. But that doesn't make the decision any easier. You know I love you and that love is indescribable and that nothing will ever make me think of you less. But Damon is that mystery danger boy, the one you can't have and don't like when you meet them. But then you end up accidentally falling for them. I care for Damon but I love you."

"I don't understand either Elena but I care about Damon too. No matter who he's hurt no matter who he's killed, I just can't be truly angry at him. After everything. And I don't get it. He's done so much to make my life miserable, but yet I care about him."

Stefan kissed Elena's forehead and pulled her head back onto his chest. And the just laid there like that for a little while.

"Stefan?"

"Yeah?"

"How much longer do I have until i-"

Elena couldn't bring herself to ask him how much time she had before she would die. It was all still surreal to her. Even though she had a life full of vampires she never saw herself becoming one. But now that the choice needed to be made, she really didn't want to die.

"I want to complete the transition Stefan. But I am scared."

"What are you afraid of exactly?"

"That I won't be able to control my emotions and I'll be an impulsive vampire."

"You naturally have a lot of self-control. That will carry over. But you won't be able to do it alone at first. You'll need help, but Elena just know I will be there every step of the way to help you. You won't have to do any of it alone."

She nodded, and they slowly got off the bed.

"Stefan. How am I going to feed? It's going to be gross to me. Drinking someone's blood."

"Well that's just it Elena. You cannot think of it as blood. You have to think of it as food now. And however you want. Blood bag, stranger, friend, or family. Anyone anyway it's your choice."

"Well, let's go down stairs and tell everyone what I've decided to do. And we can figure it out down there okay?"

Stefan nodded and then they headed down stairs holding hands.

"Elena!" Matt was the first to jump up at the sight of the puffy eyed Elena coming down the stairs with Stefan.

"Everyone, please don't scream and jump and don't judge me. Please. I need everyone. But I have decided to complete the transformation. I don't know how I am going to feed yet. But I can't die yet."

"Feed off of me, really I'm okay with it Elena." Matt was standing right by Elena.

"Matt, thank you. Seriously, but I don't know if I am willing to bite you, I don't know if I would be able to stop myself. And I don't want to take that risk."

"Then you won't bite me. I'll cut myself. And Damon and Stefan and Caroline are all here, they'll stand by and stop you if they need to."

Elena looked from Stefan to Caroline to Damon, to make sure they are all willing to stop her if necessary. They all nodded her and smiled at her.

"Okay. I'll do it. But before I do, thank you Matt. You have no idea what your offer means to me."

Matt gave her his golden boy smile and nodded. Stefan handed Matt a knife. He cut his wrist and brought it over to Elena. The feeling in her gum was very painful but when she licked some of his blood, it started to dull down. So she drank more blood until she felt something else. Satisfaction, fulfillment, and it was worrying her. She drew back before Damon or Stefan or Caroline could stop her. When she drew back she could feel her fangs protruding out of her mouth, and it hurt, a lot. She started crying again and Stefan came over and started rubbing her head.

"It'll be okay. Just relax. The pain will go away any second now."

And he wasn't lying either, right after he finished saying it the pain was completely gone and her fangs were back in. That was easier than she thought. But she was still disgusted by the thought of her being a vampire, and she was feeling all of her emotions blurring together.


	2. Chapter 2

All Elena wanted to do was to sort out her emotions, so that she didn't feel like some emotional wreck. But truth be told she was an emotional wreck, her and Matt were just in a car crash in the same place her and her parents were, when she should have died. But instead she died tonight, in the car crash with Matt. That sounded so strange to her, she died. She is dead right now, and she will be dead for eternity.

What will she do for eternity? She had no plans for her future anymore. And right now her future was not as important as this moment. She couldn't even tell how she was feeling. Because it was too many emotions to pick apart.

"Elena, I know this may seem unimportant. But this whole thing will be a lot easier if you tell me what you're feeling." Stefan was standing in front of Elena holding her shoulders and staring into her eyes. He was trying to figure out what she was feeling so he could help her.

"I don't know. All of my emotions are blurring together I can't figure any of them out."

"Focus on them. Don't think about anything other than your emotions. They will start to become a little clearer. It's almost like a fuzzy camera, when you focus it, it becomes sharp again. Just try to focus on your emotions and put words to how you're feeling."

She turned around to face away from everyone so that she couldn't see their faces. And she tried to focus in on her emotions. She got a few clear; she was feeling scared, and disgusted at herself. But she was also feeling almost grateful that she wasn't dead right now. But she couldn't figure out any other emotions, but it didn't matter because those were the big ones.

"I got them sorted out." Elena said as she was turning to face everyone again.

"Okay so how do you feel right now?" Damon was the one to speak up and ask the question. Elena forgot Damon was in the room because he wasn't talking, but he had pure concern for Elena.

"I feel disgusted at myself because I became what I never wanted to become. I'm also feeling scared of what will happen. And I also feel almost grateful because I could have died but I'm still standing here. And I know I am technically dead anyway right now, but I could have been completely dead. And I also feel strangely alive."

"It's normal to be scared of what's going to happen I know I was when I first turned. But you didn't change purposely, you were in a car crash and you didn't know you had vampire blood in your system." Stefan was sitting on the arm of the couch that Jeremy and Matt were on.

Matt had a bandage on his wrist from the spot he cut himself so Elena could have blood. He was looking at the floor though and not at Elena like everyone else is.

"But Elena I never said thank you." Matt was the one speaking now. He was still looking at the floor.

"Why would you say thank you?" Elena was completely confused, she'd drank his blood to turn into a vampire why is he saying thank you?

"You risked your life to save me. Stefan came into the water and was going to save you first but you kept saying no and pointing to me. And you had no idea that you would come back as a vampire. So you truly risked your life for me. So thank-you." Matt was staring right into Elena's eyes with his bright blue eyes. He was on the verge of crying, and he was smiling.

"That's because Stefan already saved my life many times, I thought you deserved it more than me. And I didn't know I had vampire blood in my system. But I knew that if I died Alaric would too. I love Alaric but he had to die with his new intentions."

Elena was crying again at the memory that seemed like it was years ago, but however it just happened hours ago.

"Elena why are you crying? You did the right thing. And you saved a life in the process." Stefan was standing up to get her a tissue but she told him to sit back down.

"I was just thinking of everyone. My parents. Jenna. And Alaric. And I can't afford to lose anyone else."

Elena was relaxing a little bit but, the sight of Damon standing against the wall smiling at her like this sent chills down her spine. She talked with everyone about how grateful she was that they were here. But when she didn't find a face she was looking for she got worried and she felt a little sad.

"Where's Bonnie?" Elena asked not knowing if she wanted to hear the answer to her own question.

"When she heard that you died and came back as a vampire, she lost it. She went a little crazy knowing that all her friends except Matt were immortal somehow. She said she needed time to think before she came to visit you. But she said she would come tomorrow night. And she's already working on your daylight ring." Stefan was being her savior, he was calming down her nerves and making her feel safe. Just the way her mom used to make her feel. But without the girl to girl chit chat an advice.

"Oh. Alright, thank you guys for visiting but can I talk to Damon alone please?"

Everyone gave Elena a worried look but obeyed they all gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug and told her that they would be visiting again whenever she wanted them. And Stefan came to give her a special one, he kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear that he would be waiting up stairs love. Hoping that she was telling Damon she was choosing Stefan and she would come upstairs telling him that she loved him.

When Elena saw that Stefan was all the way up the stairs she asked Damon to sit down on the couch. And then she sat next to him.

She grabbed Damon's hand and looked at him like she never thought she would look at him.

"Damon-"

But Damon cut her off by saying "Elena I know what you're about to say, it's Stefan. It's always going to be Stefan. And I know I understand he got to you first. It's only fair."

"But that's just it Damon, I remember. Everything. He didn't meet me first. You did. And you compelled me to get everything I want, and to forget meeting you. Why did you do that?"

"I didn't want anyone to know I was in town yet, and if I didn't compel you, you would've known."

"Okay but I also remember you compelling me when we were in my bedroom. You told me you _loved _me Damon. Why did you make me forget that?"

"Because I was too afraid of what you would do if I told you I love you without making you forget."

"I love you Damon."

He expected something completely different to come out of Elena's mouth.

"What?"

"You heard me, I said I love you."

"But I thought you chose Stefan?"

"Damon. I. Love. You. And that is why I need to set you free. You don't deserve what I've done to you."

"You? What have you done to me? I have done a lot worse to you."

"But I strung you along. I played with your head and emotions. I was just like _Katherine._"

"You can never be anything like Katherine, Katherine was a bitch."

Elena told Damon how her choosing Stefan was not the same as Katherine choosing Stefan because she did love Damon, but it was a different love. It was the kind of love you get just because you know you can't. She gave him one last kiss and started to head up stairs to be with her true love, Stefan.

When she reached the top of the stairs, Stefan was sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. She hoped he wasn't listening to her conversation and she came and sat down next to him.

"He compelled you? I can understand the first time because you didn't have the necklace yet, but the second time? Where was your necklace?" Stefan was crying, he was crying. It takes a lot to make him cry.

"Stefan. It was because Rose kidnapped me. They ripped it off. And Damon had it in his hand and he told me I had to forget and left. I had no idea. Of any of it. It was the weirdest thing to have those memories come flooding back to me."

"Do you love him Elena?"

"Yes. I do."

"Okay. Then it's him?"

"No. Stefan it's you. It will always be you."


	3. Chapter 3

"But Elena, you have feelings for him too. You can't just ignore those."

"I'm not ignoring it, I know they are there. But my feelings for him are nothing compared to my feelings for you Stefan."

"Okay."

Stefan and Elena just laid in bed together, holding each other tightly all night. Elena was drifting in and out of sleep. She was dead why is she this tired? She was fighting off sleep, because she was afraid that she wouldn't wake up. Even though she was a vampire now, she was still afraid of dying.

"Elena, what's wrong? Why aren't you sleeping?"

Stefan could tell that she was scared of something, he just didn't know what.

"I know this is going to sound ridiculous because I am a vampire now, but I am afraid that if I go to bed I won't wake up."

"Don't be afraid of that, Elena you can sleep, you'll wake up, and I will be right here to help you when you do."

Elena nodded and smiled at that. She reached up and gave him a kiss before letting sleep fall over her. Stefan took a little longer to fall asleep, because he was still in shock from everything that happened tonight. It was one night but it felt as if it was stretched out because of everything that happened.

When Stefan finally fell asleep the sun was starting to rise, and he had to get up and close the curtains so that the sun wouldn't burn Elena while she slept. Bonnie has to bring Elena's daylight ring over so that they won't have to worry about the sun.

Stefan walked over to Elena's sleeping body, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and rubbed her face gently. But she was sound asleep, so he walked over to his phone and dialed Bonnie's number. It went straight to her voicemail. She either ignored his call or her phone is off.

Stefan needed to see Bonnie, it was important. So he walked down to Damon's room and knocked on the door. No response so he gently and quietly opened the door to find the bed empty. He walked back out and closed the door behind him to find Damon sitting in the parlor drinking blood. From a blood bag thankfully and not a college girl.

"I'm running over to Bonnie's to see if the ring is ready yet. So if Elena wakes up please just watch her for a little while, and tell her what I'm doing."

"And why would I do that for you?" Damon was back to being his normal self.

"Fine, don't do it for me. Do it for her then."

Damon rolled his eyes and said "Fine, go."

Stefan headed to Bonnie's house for the ring. When he knocked on the door Bonnie opened it looking extremely tired, and sad.

"Stefan, I was just about to get dressed and come over there. I just finished the ring, and I thought Elena would need it."

"Yeah, that's why I came here. But I tried calling too, and I got your voicemail."

"Sorry about that. My phones off. The battery died."

Bonnie asked Stefan to come into the house and wait while she got the ring out of her room. They discussed the ring for a little while. Stefan needed to tell Bonnie how thankful he was that she was helping him.

"It's only fair. You saved my life many times, and you just saved Matt's life. I owe it to you Stefan."

"Well I don't take this lightly so thank you."

"Do you mind taking me back to the boarding house with you? I really need to see her now."

"Sure, let's go. But she is still sleeping. She had a long and rough night emotionally and physically."

"I'll wait until she gets up then. I just need to see her."

And at that Stefan and Bonnie left for the boarding house. When they got back to the boarding house and they came in Elena was sitting next to Damon asking "Where is he?"

As soon as Stefan and Bonnie walked through the doorway, Elena jumped up and ran over to them knocking Stefan down. And then she looked and saw bonnie standing there too.

"Bonnie! You came!"

Elena was still very upset about everything and it was clearly visible, but Bonnie noticed the differences about her.

"Yeah. I did Elena. I brought the ring too."

Elena got up and hugged Bonnie who was very tense and clearly did not want to be hugging her yet.

Bonnie handed Elena the ring and Elena gladly slipped it on. And said her thank you's to everyone for taking care of her.

Elena started to feel a little hungry, and it was making her feel all skittish, she felt like she would explode. She looked around the room trying to avoid eye contact with everyone and Stefan knew exactly what was wrong.

"Hungry love?" Stefan was holding Elena's head still so that there was no where else to look but into his eyes.

"Yeah. A little bit."

"No, Elena you can't lie to yourself. If you don't admit that the thirst for blood is controlling you, you won't be able to control your thirst." Damon was speaking from the other side of the room but even with that distance she could still tell that he was extremely worried about her.

"I know the thirst for blood will control me. I don't want it to. I'm just embarrassed. I'm still new Damon. I'm not used to this."

"Okay, okay. Just saying, no need to get testy."

"Elena, come with me we will get you some blood. Damon, play nice, Bonnie if he doesn't you can do that thing where you hurt him with your eyes."

Bonnie nodded and gave a satisfactory smile, Stefan and Elena headed down towards the cellar.

"Where are we going Stefan?"

"To get you a bloodbag."

"Okay."

They continued to walk towards the cellar and Elena saw the new batch of vervaine growing, they still have Bonnie, Matt and Jeremy to give it to. She looked at the amount of the herb and was surprised.

"Stefan, why is there so much vervaine growing over there?"

"Because we started growing it way before you turned into a vampire so we needed enough for everyone including you. And Damon is still supplying it to the sheriff and founders counsel."

"Oh, okay."

They continued walking until they reached the large refrigerator, filled with ice and blood bags. Stefan opened up the fridge and grabbed a bag for himself and a bag for Elena. Elena stared at it for just a second and she could feel her fangs and she knew her eyes were now filled with blood and all the veins were sticking out underneath them. She felt her eye with her free hand, and the fangs didn't hurt when they came out anymore.

"Stefan. When this happens to my face. How do I get rid of it?"

"Love, you don't need to right now your about to feed."

"I mean for like future references, how do I get this face to go away? Like you did?"

"You can't focus on your face, you have to focus on the feeling you get when your face is like that. You have to tell yourself it's going to be okay and just breathe. In a minute or so it will go away. Try."

Elena did just as he said, she didn't focus on the way her face looked she focused on the way the blood made her feel. She kept thinking to herself that everything was going to be okay, that she was going to be okay. And while doing all of this she was breathing deeply to calm herself.

Elena could feel her fangs go away, and she could feel her eyes go back to normal. She was very happy that she could now get rid of her monster face whenever it came out.

"Thank you for teaching me that Stefan. Will you teach me everything else along the way too?"

"Of course I will Elena, I told you I would be there for you every step of the way."

Elena nodded and smiled at him. Then she opened up her blood bag and started to drink the contents. Her food. Like Stefan said she could no longer think of it as blood she had to think of it as food. And if she thought of it as food she wouldn't be as grossed out by it.

When she was done with her bag she felt much better, she felt under control. She felt like she was her old self again, the human Elena not the vampire Elena. And that could be her weakness right there, her to be human, but that could also make her keep her humanity and be a good vampire, like Stefan and Caroline.

Hopefully she would never be the impulsive kind of vampire, like Katherine and Damon and Isobel too. Stefan was just watching Elena, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

"What?" Elena asked because she saw Stefan watching her.

"Are you feeling better? Under control?"

"Yeah. I feel good. I feel normal. Even though I am still a vampire, I feel like I'm my old self again."

"Yeah that'll happen, when you are hungry you'll be very impatient and on edge, until you get a healthy amount of blood. But when you are full, and not hungry you'll feel like you are under control, and that you are your old self again."

"Okay, but how do I make sure I don't snap in a public place when I'm hungry?"

"Just try as hard as you possibly can to not think of it, or give me a look and I'll get us out of it so that you can feed."

"Okay. Oh and Jeremy is going to sign the deed of the house, so that he is still safe. But everyone will have to be re-invited in right?"

"Yes. Including you this time."

"Okay. He said he was going to go do that today. But I have to be there while he does it, because the house is in my name right now."

"Okay well just make sure he doesn't sign it inside the house and you'll be fine."

Stefan and Elena headed back upstairs to go back to see if Damon was on good behavior, and to make sure bonnie was okay. When they got back upstairs, Damon was casually sitting on the couch and Bonnie was looking in her spell book.

Elena asked Bonnie what she was looking for, and Bonnie said that she was learning new spells and she was just looking over them. Elena looked from Damon to Bonnie and to Stefan.

"Well what do we do now?"

"We can go outside, and teach you to run super-fast and jump high and all that."

"Yeah as long as you don't do what Vikki did, and run away. We all know how that ended." Damon was saying that with his always sarcastic undertone.

"And whose fault was that one now?" Stefan was looking at Damon with judgey eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I know it was mine." Damon was rolling his eyes at Stefan.

"Okay. Boys play nice. Can we go outside now?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

They got outside and Elena was suddenly feeling more nervous than she should be.

"Stefan, I don't know why but I'm nervous."

"Bonnie, can you place a seal on a certain area? So she can't leave the yard but so that she has to whole yard to run in?"

Bonnie nodded, "Just give me a sec," and bonnie started speaking that unknown language again. The one that sounded almost like Latin, but no one was exactly sure what it was.

And after a moment she nodded saying it's done. And Stefan started telling Elena to focus on the spot she wanted to go and just put all of her effort into getting there as fast as she could.

And Elena tried to do it, with great success, she was just as fast as any other vampire she knew. Stefan was now talking about jumping big distances and jumping high up. He told her the rules of that, and she tried to jump up on the roof of the boarding house but her jump fell a little bit short, she ended up on Stefan's balcony.

"Try again, just put more effort behind it think about the destination a little more."

Damon was saying from the roof.

"How-When-"

Elena couldn't form words because not even a second ago he was down on the ground below her. But she jumped down from the balcony landing in a perfect position and she turned towards Stefan. Stefan gave Elena an encouraging smile. She tried to jump up to the roof again only this time she landed on the roof right next to Damon. Instead of the balcony that was just a few feet below her.

Damon looked impressed, because she made the jump this time and she landed in a perfect attacking position. Which wasn't what this was about but it was what she landed in.

Damon tried to provoke her and attack her but she put all her power behind her and she pushed Damon off the roof, and when she did so she hissed and her fangs came out. Damon had enough time to think and land on his feet instead of his face. Damon stood straight up and realized he had just been pushed down by a new but probably very angry vampire.

Stefan looked over at Damon, with a smirk on his face. And then Stefan looked to Elena with a face that said I am impressed. Elena felt good about her new strength and power. And for some reason Damon made her so angry when he was testing her, which made her even stronger.

"Well, I guess you won't have to teach her how to use her new strength, she already knows how to do that one." Damon was pissed. He was so used to being able to stop anyone from doing anything to him, but Elena got him when he wasn't expecting her to even be able to move him an inch.

And not only did Elena push him down, she was able to push him down but do it in a way where she didn't fall down with him. Elena was happy with herself. And she was even happier knowing that she could now completely defend herself from vampires. Elena jumped down from the roof and Stefan came over to hug her.

Elena just wanted to go back to normal where she could go to school and home and see friends. She wanted everything to be the way it was before she found out about vampires. But also part of her loved that it happened. Not all the deaths along the way, but where would she be without Stefan? How would she act, would she want to live? When her parents died she didn't know if she had a reason to live. But Stefan had showed her that there was an entire world out there and that she couldn't waste her life away, she had to live it.

And that is part of the reason that her bond for Stefan was so unbreakable. No matter what happened no matter who he became she never stopped loving him. Not once. And nothing could ever make her not love him.


	4. Chapter 4

But there are her feelings for Damon, and those aren't going anywhere no matter how hard she tries. For some reason she just can't stop having feelings for him. Even though she never wanted to feel anything for him, she had these feelings that just would not go away.

And that killed her, the fact that she was falling for a guy she has always found irritating. But when Damon and Elena were searching for Stefan they bonded. And they are comfortable around each other, which was also annoying, because Damon is much too cynical to not take advantage of that, of her.

Elena was snapped back to reality by Stefan who was now asking her what she wanted to do now.

"Can I go to school? Or should I hold off for a while until I get everything completely under control?"

"I won't be leaving your side, so I don't see why you can't go. And if you go then Jeremy and Bonnie and Caroline would go too. And they need to continue on with their normal lives also, and going to school will bring your lives back to normal. Sort of."

Stefan wanted everyone to remain normal, even though she was a vampire now didn't mean that everything else had to change along with that.

Bonnie said she was already prepared to go to school, but Elena had to get dressed. So did Stefan, and then Elena had to tell Jeremy and Caroline that she was going to school.

Elena got her things together and headed home, to her home. The house she was raised in, and when she got there she was surprised to find out that she couldn't get through the door. Jeremy must have signed the deed already, but Elena thought she had to be there when he did so.

"Jer?"

"Elena? Is that you?"

"Yeah. And I can't get through the door? You signed the deed already?"

"Yeah. The lawyer came this morning, and said it would be fine to sign without you here. But come on in."

Elena stuck her foot through the door to make sure the seal was gone, and it was. She walked into the house.

"Jer, I'm going to school today. And you should too."

He gave her a scared look, but nodded and started to get his stuff together. Elena walked up to her room and started getting dressed for school, and she got that urge again. The hunger, it was back. But she had just fed like an hour ago. Why is she hungry again? She looked in the mirror and saw exactly what she was expecting. Her eyes and her fangs. But she did what Stefan told her and it was gone in a flash.

She finished getting dressed and ran down the stairs to get Jeremy and go to school. She dialed a call to Bonnie and Caroline. They answered both sounding worried.

"Guy's relax, it's me but I was just calling to let you guys know I am going to school today Stefan thinks it would be good. And you guys should go too. We need to keep as much of our lives normal as possible."

They both agreed, but their yes's were both filled with doubt.

Elena hung up the phone and walked out to her car, followed by Jeremy. They both got it and she drove them to school. When she got there, Stefan was waiting with Bonnie and Caroline. They all looked just a little bit worried.

When Elena stepped out of the car everyone looked at her. Because between last night and this morning everyone had figured out that Elena and Matt had gotten into a car accident last night. Matt, crap she forgot about him. But when she looked back up she saw Matt walking up to the table with Stefan, Caroline and Bonnie. He looked hurt that she forgot him but he understood.

"Are you sure I am ready for this Stefan?"

"Yes, Elena everyone here will be with you to help you with this nothing will go wrong. Trust me and trust yourself."

"Okay, I will try my hardest to get through the day."

Anyone who had a brain could sense that Elena was very nervous to be back at school so soon. But everyone had to keep living their normal lives. If they didn't go back so soon it would have been harder to go back to normal if they waited.

Elena was looking around at the people surrounding her, she could hear everything, she could see so much clearer. Everything was magnified, and it was a little overwhelming at first. And when Elena was looking around at everyone she froze. She was certain that what she was seeing was an illusion. She could not have been seeing him.

"Elena what do you see?" Bonnie was asking nervously.

"Guys….look….over…there."

Everyone turned their heads to where Elena was pointing and were just as shocked to see what Elena saw.

"Tyler? But didn't he die, when Alaric killed Klaus?"

Stefan was talking to Caroline because Caroline was there, she saw him dying. This could not be possible.

Tyler looked up and saw everyone staring at him so he nonchalantly waved and smiled at them. He was acting completely normal. What the heck was that all about?

After Tyler was done talking to the kids around him he started walking over towards Elena. Stefan told Elena to be calm and don't worry. Everything would be fine.

When Tyler reached everyone his most charming smile.

"How are you still alive?" Stefan was standing in front of Tyler with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, let's just say it was very magical."

"What's he talking about Bonnie." Elena was looking to her friend, it couldn't have been unplanned that he said magical.

"Well, I didn't want my mom, Caroline, Tyler, and Stefan to die, so I put a spell protecting Klaus from dying when Alaric staked him. His body burned but his soul didn't, so therefore the line of vampires he created wouldn't die. But now he is occupying Tyler's body until he finds one he likes. I had no choice Elena I couldn't let everyone die." Bonnie was trying to hold back some tears welling up in her eyes.

"Wait so you aren't Tyler? You are Klaus?" Caroline was getting up and looking at Tyler.

"Yes love. I am not your Tyler, I am me. I am Klaus. And I see we have the new and improved Elena here as well."

"What are you talking about?" Elena was standing and giving Klaus the scariest face she could manage without embarrassing herself.

"Well let's review shall we? You had a mysterious hemorrhage and you had bleeding on the brain. So the very impressive doctor Meredith Fell, healed you very well. Using vampire blood of course. And then my fellow sister Rebekah ran you and your dear friend Matt over there off the road, and over wickery bridge. Where you died but here you are? So that could only mean one thing. You completed the transition and you are now a vampire."

"How do you know what happened?" Elena was still giving him her scariest most intimidating face that she could give.

"Well you see, I have eyes and ears everywhere in this town. And may I just say that you being a vampire is no good for me. That means no more hybrids. So, here's my wish. Tell your little witch friend that she has exactly one week, to find a way to turn you human. If she fails I will kill everyone you love with you watching. And then I will kill you. So don't fail."

And with that Tyler(Klaus) walked away leaving everyone panicked. Everyone was looking between Bonnie and Elena.

"Bonnie, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know Elena but I am not giving that bastard anything else I already saved his life."

"But if you don't he'll ill everyone. I don't doubt that at all."

"It's okay. I won't let him."

Elena looked to Stefan for comfort only to find worry on his face as well. And when she looked at him again he shrugged at her. Great she sacrifices her life to save Matt's life and now her afterlife is being threatened by the man who already tried to kill her many times before.

The first bell went off so everybody headed to their first period classes. And everyone in Elena's class was staring at her. Guess it isn't every day that a girl magically survives two car crashes over the same bridge.

Elena felt a lot of pressure because everyone was watching her. And every kept telling her how sorry they were that she had to go through that again. And she had to hear all over again how it was a miracle that her and Matt both got out of the car.

Elena did not want to go through this again. No one died. Her and Matt both survived, she hoped that everyone would forget about it soon. She didn't know if she could handle going through the hallway and seeing all the faces looking at her.

And she didn't know if she could handle all the sympathy again. It might make her snap. Especially if she wasn't full on blood.

Elena made it through her first class, which felt like forever to her. And when her and Stefan were out in the hallway she pulled him into an empty classroom, and made sure no one was in hearing distance.

"Stefan all these people I can hear them all and its getting a little overwhelming, how do I tune them out?"

"Just focus on whoever you are with and the rest of the voices will go away."

"Okay. And one more thing, there was someone in the hallway before who was bleeding and I am getting hungry. Why am I getting hungry I just ate like a couple hours ago."

"You're new. When you are a new vampire you need a lot more blood because your body is still getting used to being technically dead."

"Okay. What am I supposed to do about getting hungry though?"

"Well, I knew this would happen so I brought some blood bags to school today. Here drink this quickly and I'll make sure no one is coming."

He handed Elena the blood bag and she tried to drink it as fast as she could without making a mess. She finished fairly quickly, they still had a couple of minutes before their next class. Stefan turned around and saw she was done and she had blood on her face so he wiped it off with a tissue and threw out the tissue but he put the empty blood bag in his backpack so no one would see it.

Elena felt much better. She felt like she could conquer the day, even with all the sympathetic glances. Stefan and Elena went back into the hallway and saw Caroline, who was very worried for Elena.

"Guys what are we going to do about Klaus's new threat?"

"Caroline don't worry we will figure something out, but first we just need to get through one normal day."

"Elena. Are you not looking around? Are you living in a fantasy world? There will not ever be a normal day again as long as you are a vampire and Klaus is alive."

"Caroline, don't say that. We can do this. We will be fine. He doesn't do anything quickly he likes to drag it out, make you sweat."

"It's true, he almost never does anything immediately. And plus he said we have a week." Stefan was trying to calm down Caroline who was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Caroline gave Stefan and Elena a frustrated look and blew past them. And then it was time for them to go to their second class. Which was Elena's first class without Stefan but she had Bonnie.

Elena stepped into the classroom and Bonnie was already in her seat, and Elena took her normal seat next to Bonnie.

Bonnie could feel the worry radiating off of Elena so she turned to Elena and said "Don't worry nothing is going to happen while I am with you."

Elena nodded and squeezed Bonnie's hand. Elena turned towards the door and saw Tyler a.k.a Klaus standing outside the classroom tapping his wrist.

"Bonnie, look outside of the classroom."

"What why-"

She cut herself off when she Tyler once again doing what he did when Elena looked at him.

"Man he is just not going to give it a rest will he?"

"I don't think so, but Bonnie is what he asked even possible?"

"Yes."

"What? How?"

"Well I would have to kill a human by sending their life through you and it would turn you into a human again. But there is no way in hell I am killing anyone for him. He already took enough lives on his own."

Elena felt a ping of guilt, as long as she was alive or immortal, Klaus would be tormenting everyone she loved. But she couldn't die and leave Jeremy all alone. He was just a kid. He didn't deserve any of this.

Bonnie looked at Elena confused but Elena just shook her head and faced the teacher. Elena sat there the entire class thinking about what Bonnie said. What if she said she would do it? Would that make her a coward? Or would it be the right thing to do?

If she died Klaus would leave her friends and family alone. But she would be leaving Jeremy with not family at all.

She didn't think she could do that. No matter how much she did not want to be a vampire she could not leave Jeremy alone.

Elena wrote Bonnie a note and the note said:

_Bonnie what if I said I would want to be human again? But I would never ask you to do anything like that I know it would be way too much for you to go through. And even if we listened to Klaus he would end up killing me anyway by making so many hybrids. And I cannot leave Jeremy without a family. But if it was for another reason, and you didn't have to kill someone for me to become human again, I would want to do it. But not now. Not under the circumstances and not with what you have to do._

Elena passed it to Bonnie and watched her read it. When she was done she gave Elena a look like are you serious right now?

But all Elena ever wanted was to take care of Jeremy and make sure he had a family. She wants him to be happy and safe. But she also wants him to be able to make his own choices, no more compulsion. Everyone had to be able to make their own decisions.

Stefan would abide by that too because he had his free will taken away from him. So now he wants everyone no matter the consequences to make their own choices. And so did Elena. She wanted everybody to know that no matter what happens they were free to make their own choices.

Bonnie crumpled up the note and threw it out. She wouldn't even consider putting her best friend through that. Because it would take a toll on Bonnie and it would hurt Elena. No one wanted to put Elena through anything else and no one wanted to make Bonnie work too much.

No one wanted Bonnie to die from using too much of her powers. Including Bonnie, and therefore the idea of this whole thing was thrown out the window the minute everyone found out what they had to do.

All Elena had to do was get through this day, and she could force herself to try to live normally all the time. But Elena suddenly felt another emotion that she couldn't place a name to. It was a mixture of sadness and shame. She was ashamed that everyone had to work so hard to protect Elena even in her afterlife.

Elena wished for once that everyone would stop putting her first and doing everything they could to save her. She also wished that for once in her entire life and afterlife she could protect the ones she loved. And she also wished that for once she could have just one completely normal day.

And for the first time in Elena's entire life, she wished she could just be a normal average girl. Not extraordinary in anyway. Completely normal, with two parents and a life that didn't revolve around a group of vampires. Plus on werewolf/vampire, who was out to make Elena's life and afterlife complete hell.


	5. Chapter 5

But unfortunately, her life will never be normal again. She is one of them now. And whether or not she likes being a vampire she is going to keep doing it so that Jeremy is not alone. And right now more than ever she has to be strong and fight. She cannot let Klaus control her, not anymore. It is done, she has more power, more anger. She will not let Klaus do anything to the people she loves.

She has to come up with something to do. Because not only is Elena not going to let Klaus control her, she also is not going to spend her life running from him like Katherine did. First she has to figure out what to do with this whole situation. Because no matter how powerful or angry she is he is Klaus, and he is much stronger and much more intimidating.

Now would be the perfect time for something to just pop into her head and tell her what to do. Or for Bonnie to figure out what to do. If Bonnie can do some spell to keep Klaus/Tyler desiccated they would have a lot more time to figure out what to do. But it takes a lot of power and a lot of people to desiccate Klaus. He has to be caught off guard and surprised but Klaus is always one step ahead of everyone.

When the class ended and Elena was getting up Bonnie asked her to stay behind because she had an idea.

"What is it Bonnie?" Elena was grasping at any form of hope that she could find.

"Well, I already desiccated him once, I can do it again. But I would need Damon and Stefan to help with it. Because they would have to make it so that he can't hurt me."

"I was thinking of asking you if you would be able to do that again."

"I can but this time there is a catch."

"What would that catch be?"

"Well you remember how last time I had to stop a human heart as well to balance the spell out?"

"Yeah. You used Jeremy, and you can again, but his ring is not everlasting."

"That's the catch, there is a slight chance he might not wake up."

"Well, what if you made a new ring just like that one? It would be brand new and there wouldn't be as much of a chance of him not waking up?"

"I don't know the spell there would be no guarantee that it would work."

"Okay. Well we can't make any decisions ourselves then we have to talk to everyone else about it and tell Jeremy the chances."

"Elena, even with everything that happened I don't want to do it even if there is a slim to none chance of him actually dying. I can't, that's not who I am, I can't be that person."

"Okay but what are we supposed to do then? This is Klaus we are talking about, he'll do anything just to show he is serious. Human life means nothing to him, just like it meant nothing to Isobel."

"I know Elena, I know. But I don't know what to do here, I'm not killing Jeremy. And I'm not going to kill a stranger either."

Elena and Bonnie looked at each other for a while before leaving the room to go meet everyone else in the hallway. And there Elena saw Caroline and Stefan frustrated with each other.

"Hey guys. What's wrong?"

Bonnie was the first to ask because Elena couldn't find her voice, she was still very shook up from Klaus's message.

"Caroline doesn't want anything bad to happen to Klaus, because she knows that Tyler is still in there somewhere. But I am trying to explain that we aren't doing anything to Tyler it's Klaus."

Stefan was angrily explaining the situation to Bonnie and Elena. Who were now trying to figure out what to do about everything.

"But if you do something to Klaus who is occupying Tyler's body, won't you hurt Tyler in the process?" Caroline asked feeling defeated.

"No. If Bonnie can get to it she can hurt Klaus's soul, without touching Tyler's body." Stefan was looking between Caroline and Bonnie, hoping to find something in Bonnie's expression that told him she could do it.

"How do you know Klaus has a soul? And that I can do this? I don't know any spells like that." Bonnie was making snarky comments. But Stefan understood why, Klaus was threatening everyone that Bonnie cares about. But however they couldn't kill him either because everyone who he created would die as well. Including her mother, Stefan, Caroline, Tyler, and now Elena.

And no matter how much Bonnie wanted Klaus dead, she just wouldn't be able to do it. And Stefan understood that, he understood not wanting to do something if you knew the consequences would be fatal.

"I know you don't know a spell like that. But Emily knew one, she did one a very long time ago. So maybe it is in one of her grimoires that you have?"

"I've never seen a spell that would do what you want. But I can look, I'll look after school. But what would it do anyway?"

"When a vampire or other immortal creature is possessing a body of another immortal creature, there is a spell that can take the soul of the possessor and you can literally put it in an object. Like a jar or another object like that."

"Okay. I'll look for one later after school."

"Thank you Bonnie." Stefan nodded and asked Elena to walk with him.

"Do you really think she will be able to find something like that?"

"Yes. I saw Emily do a spell just like that in 1864, and I saw that it was in a big book. Which I am guessing was one of her grimoires and since Bonnie knows who she is and she has Emily's grimoires I figured she could find it."

"But what if she can't find it? Or what if Klaus sees her coming and prevents her from doing it? Stefan, Klaus is always one step ahead of us. You know that."

"Yes, but all we have to do is make sure that he doesn't see her, and we will be fine. He doesn't control Tyler the whole time. Some of the time it is actually Tyler. So if we see Tyler coming or if we see him around, just don't say a word about anything."

"Okay. And you're sure she can do this?"

"Yes. Even though she doesn't have the power from the 100 witches, she is still a Bennet witch. And the Bennet's have been strong witches for a long time. They are stronger than most witches naturally. She can do this."

"Alright, but I am still nervous Stefan."

He nodded and let her know that it was normal to be scared. Klaus had that effect on everyone, he was an original. And with the knowledge that Klaus created Stefan and Damon's bloodline, they couldn't kill him. No matter how much they wanted him to be dead, they could not do it.

They weren't absolute about Stefan and Damon being created from Klaus. But they were not willing to take a chance like that. And it would be too much for Bonnie to handle. So that is why they were going to try to find the spell that would trap Klaus, in some form of a jar.

And they had exactly one week to try to find this spell. That is not a lot of time when you have over 20 grimoires to look through. So Stefan and Elena volunteered to help bonnie look through them. They would look after school every day until they found it if they had to. But one way or another they would find the book and find the spell that they needed.

They had to find it within a week, or else people would start to die. But for right now Elena just needed to get through the rest of school. And that was harder than she though it would be. But everyone was encouraging her to get through the rest of the day. And she felt she would be able to do it knowing that everyone was on her side.

She only got through two classes so far, so she had seven classes left. And her next class was history with Stefan, Bonnie, and Matt. So Bonnie, Elena, Stefan and Matt started to head up to history. Not knowing who their teacher would be because Alaric died when Matt and Elena went over the bridge.

They all hoped it would be someone more like Mr. Saltzman than Mr. Tanner. And when everyone got into their normal seats they saw a new face in front of the room. He didn't look familiar at all to Elena. So she hoped it would be a good teacher. Someone who was friendly like Alaric but maybe not a vampire hunter.

He started talking about why he moved to Mystic Falls when he was just a teenager.

"My name is Mr. Williams, and I moved to the town of Mystic Falls when I was just 14 years old. But of course I didn't chose to my parents did. They moved here because my father is a history fanatic and he had heard that Mystic Falls has a very rich history and my mother wanted to move here because she loved small towns."

Great another person moving to Mystic Falls because of the history. Who would soon find out the towns dark secret, and either become another vampire hunter or a vampire eventually. This can't be another vampire hunter. But Elena also didn't want it to be someone who wanted to become a vampire.

"So you guys can call me Mr. W if you would like. But today we are not going to be learning anything that these text books would teach you, today we are going to be learning more about each other and me, so everyone please get up and make your desks form a circle."

Elena looked at Stefan with a confused look but got up and moved her desk in between Stefan and Bonnie and into part of the circle. Elena looked to Bonnie but Bonnie just shrugged and turned to look at Matt who was giving Bonnie the same expression Elena was.

Everyone was confused and Mr. Williams could tell, because he tried to reassure everyone.

"I know you are all confused and probably think this is weird but I want to get to know my students. So we are going to go around and everyone just say your name and a little bit about yourself and then I will answer any questions that you may have."

He told Stefan to start us off.

"My name is Stefan Salvatore and I just recently moved back to town a few years ago."

"Salvatore? As in one of the original settlers in Mystic Falls?"

"Yes, the relation is very distant though." Mr. Williams nodded and pointed to Elena to continue with herself.

"My name is Elena Gilbert and I'm just bouncing back from a great loss."

"Your parents? I heard about that accident, and I see you are also one of the original settlers here in Mystic Falls"

"Yes I am. And yes but I also just lost my aunt and uncle as well."

"Oh well I am very sorry for your loss Ms. Gilbert."

"Thank you."

"My name is Bonnie Bennet and unlike these two I am not one of the founding families. My family came here in the last 1600's from Salem."

"Salem Massachusetts?"

"Yes sir."

"Very interesting."

"My name is Matt Donovan, and I am also not a founding family, but my family did move here right after the original settlement."

"Very cool."

And it continued around the circle until it got to the end of the circle.

"No who has any questions for me?"

"How much do you know about this town?" Stefan was the first one to ask him a question. Elena was still trying to come up with a question to ask him.

"I know a lot about this town. Maybe more than I should. Considering I wasn't born here. But this town has a very rich history, and I am here to learn more about the town."

"Do you know anything about the mass hysteria that was going on during the civil war here?" Bonnie was surprisingly the next one to ask him a question.

"I know a little bit about that. The towns founders thought it to be vampires, but it all turned out to be a metaphor. Am I correct? The "vampires" were just the symbol of the union soldiers otherwise known as the demons of the day."

Stefan looked at Elena because Elena had heard that once from Jeremy.

"Yes that is correct, but it happened to create a base for folklore which lures parapsychologists here all the time. To observe the town and the people living in it." Stefan was leaning forward with his hands folded.

"My great grandfather used to live here and he kept a journal and I used to read it all the time. He talked about the demons of the day attacking innocent townspeople."

"My ancestors used to keep the same type of journal." Elena murmured to the teacher.

"What else do you know? What do you know about the Battle of Willow Creek?" Matt was the next to ask the question, because Elena still had no questions for this new teacher.

"Well I know that most textbooks don't have it documented but there was a church full of 27 civilians that the townspeople thought were considered weapons so they fired on the church and killed the 27 civilians."

"How do you know about that? Mr. Tanner and Mr. Saltzman didn't know about that until they were told by one of the founding families." Elena finally found her voice and finally had a question to ask him.

"Well my great grandfather, the one who talked about the demons of the day, one of his entries talked about the 27 civilians in the church. And when I got hold of one of the textbooks I looked through it but couldn't find one sentence on those 27 civilians. So I didn't know if it was true or not. But you Elena just confirmed that."

"Right." Elena was really worried, this man already knew so much about this town. How long before he would find out the towns secret? Which now included her.

"Any other questions? No?"

Mr. Williams gave us the rest of the class to ourselves. So everyone moved their desks back to normal and started talking to all of their friends.

"Stefan this man could be dangerous." Elena was getting very scared of this new teacher.

"Why?"

"Because he already knows so much. How long before he figures out the rest of it?"

"Elena, don't worry he can't do anything to you. You are a vampire now too. You can actually keep yourself safe. But if he does find out we will compel him to forget. And we will make sure he has no vervaine in his system before we compel him."

"Okay. But how do we find out if he has vervaine?"

"Well we can test compel him. Something small but noticeable and go from there."

"Okay but I've never compelled anyone Stefan so I think you should."

"Compelling someone is very easy, sometimes before you have learned to control all of your emotions you could actually accidentally compel someone. You just have to tell them something but you have to really want it you have to want them to think whatever you are saying is true. That's all, but if they are on vervaine or if they are some other immortal creature or supernatural creature, it won't work."

"Okay, so I don't have to practice that?"

"You should just in case, but on someone who is willing or only something small. Because no one deserves to have their minds messed with."

"Okay so when and what should I do?"

"Well if you want to wait until tomorrow we can do it on Matt or Jeremy, only if they are okay with it, and they would have to not ingest vervaine for the next 24 hours so it could be a little dangerous but not very, because there aren't many if any vampires left after everything that happened."


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you sure that isn't still too dangerous?"

"Elena, I can't be sure, but I will be there to help you out if you need it. And this would be perfect practice because it would be your brother or you friend, and it would be something not serious."

Elena was still worried that compelling Jeremy or Matt would still be too dangerous. But she did want to practice it before she was forced to use it for real. On something much more serious.

Elena and Stefan said their goodbyes for now and she headed off to her next class that she had with Matt, Bonnie and Tyler who is now being occupied by Klaus.

When Elena was walking to her next class Jeremy pulled her aside for a minute to talk to her.

"Elena, Tyler came up to me threatening that I would be the first to die if you aren't human again in a week."

"Don't worry about it Jer, we think we have a way to stop him from doing anything."

"What? Why do I not know about any of this? How come I don't even know that you guys are talking about how you might have a way to stop him?"

"Because we don't want everyone to know because then everyone will be disappointed if we can't find what we need. It's a spell we think we may be able to have Bonnie to do to finally stop him."

"Okay. You could have at least told me that much. No more lies, no more secrets, remember?"

"I know I am sorry Jeremy but Bonnie wanted to keep it a secret too."

And with that Jeremy walked away leaving Elena astounded that he was so angry with her, when it wasn't even her own choice, it was Stefan's and Bonnie's.

But she was going to be late to class if she just kept standing there. So she finished walking to class uninterrupted this time. And when Elena got to class she barely made it on time so Matt was giving her a worried look. And she sat down next to him only a few moments before he asked her if she as okay.

"Yeah I'm fine Matt, Jeremy is mad at me, and Klaus wants me to be human again so she can be his personal bloodbag again. But I'm fine, it's everyone else that I'm worried about honestly."

"Elena, you know that we all just want you to be okay, because of everything that you've been through."

"Yeah but Matt, everyone else has been through just as much now, and it's all because of me. One way or another everything that's happened has been because of me."

"Don't say that. It's not your fault. It's Katherine's if she hadn't become a vampire before Klaus could perform the sacrifice none of these things would have happened."

"When did you find out that she became a vampire before Klaus could use her in the sacrifice?"

"Stefan filled me in on the history a little while after I became aware of him being a vampire. He said that if I were to know what he is that he wanted me to know about how he became that way and who turned him and how she was."

"That's Stefan for you, always has to have everyone know his past, his mistakes and his regrets in hope that they won't turn around and make the same mistakes."

"Yeah, except for you, Damon and Stefan still have issues that you need to sort out."

"No, Matt I told them both my decision and they have to accept it no matter what. They promised me. And if history is any evidence that is the only thing you can hold Damon on, is his promise to me."

"Yeah well you see we do have a bit of a problem with the other Salvatore now because Stefan is not entirely his old self. So how do we know that he can keep his promise?"

"Well, Stefan is coming around again, he's still on human blood but that just means he is stronger and he does have it under control now too. So I know we can trust him Matt, he saved my life and he saved yours too."

"I know he did and I am very thankful for that, but he is still on edge. He just isn't the same."

"Give it time Matt, he was compelled to be a badass."

"Your right. I should give him a break."

Elena nodded and they turned to face yet another class that was going to be torturous most likely. Elena just wanted the day to be over so that she could go back to a house whichever one and just relax and not worry about all the people around her. But Elena remembered that she promised that she would help Bonnie look through her grimoires for the spell to trap Klaus's soul into a container.

She really hoped this would work. Klaus expects them to be looking through her grimoires but just not for a spell like that. He is hoping that they will find one that turns her into a human again. However Bonnie said that she would never cast a spell like that because of the conditions of the spell. And she would never want to do something like that to Elena either.

Elena was Klaus's true weakness, he wanted her to survive but as a human and not as a vampire. She needed to be smart and play that against him to get what she wants. She just has to find out how she can do that, because she needs to have a very thought out plan on how to get Klaus off of Bonnie's back.

She had to be strong and make him listen to her, she was their only chance at putting an end to Klaus. But first her Bonnie, and Stefan had to find this spell to trap his soul. But she knew she had to tell Stefan and Bonnie that she was thinking of a way to bring him down, or make him do what she wants.

Stefan would probably be against it because it could be harmful to Elena's life. But Elena had to see if she could bring him off of his high horse long enough for him to listen to her and to give her all she truly wanted. But also if she told Stefan he could help her think of a way to use her being a doppleganer against him.

Elena didn't even notice that her class was over and the room was empty, because she was so far in a daze. But when she started to grab for her bag and started to stand up Tyler was standing in front of her staring down at her.

"And she's alone at last. I have been trying to get you alone the whole day but you have body guards, and lots of them. I don't like it."

"Well you know what I don't like?"

"What's that love?"

"You."

And Elena got up and grabbed her bag from his hand and stormed out of the room before he could squeeze another word in.

God, he made her so cranky. She wished he would just rot in hell already, but odds are if he died Stefan and Damon would be dead too. So would Caroline and Bonnie's mom.

"Elena, where have you been? I've been looking all over you!" Stefan came rushing towards her and stopped when he saw the pissed off look on Elena's face.

"I was lost in my thoughts and was still in my last classroom. Klaus/Tyler showed up and was being his usual self and made me all cranky. What's wrong?" Elena could see the distress on Stefan's face, and he seemed to have it there a lot lately but this looked worse than normal.

"He made his first attack."

"What do you mean? Who did he attack?"

"Caroline. He tried to kiss Caroline and she got pissed and slapped him and he didn't like it so he tried to kill her but he missed. He doesn't know she's still alive. He thinks she's dead."

"But why did he make his first move already? He said this morning that we have a week."

"Who knows? It's Klaus we have to be extremely careful not to piss him off more than he already is."

"Okay well I have an idea but I need to tell Bonnie too do you know where she is?"

"Yeah, her and Caroline went back to the boardinghouse so Bonnie could help Caroline heal. What do you need to talk to us about?"

"I think I know how to bring Klaus off his high horse, well a general idea I don't know exactly how to. That's where you and Bonnie came in."

"What do you mean Elena?"

"Well Klaus has two weaknesses family and me. Right? Since I am the doppleganer he needs me. I have to use that against him. Manipulate him."

"But how?"

"That's the part I don't know yet."

"Okay, well how about we grab Matt and Jeremy and head home? To think it out and try to find a way to stop him."

"Alright I'll grab Jeremy I know where he is now. You find Matt okay?"

Stefan nodded and they headed off in separate directions, Elena headed straight towards the stoner pit. And she found Jeremy exactly where she had expected him to be. Sitting there not doing anything just staring off into space.

"Jeremy why do you still come here?"

"Elena. I don't know it's quiet, and I can think privately here."

"Well we need to go. Klaus made his first move on Caroline, and I think I have another way to bring him down, but we need all the help we can get and sticking around here isn't going to help anyone."

"Alright, let's go."

Elena and Jeremy headed towards Elena's car to find Matt and Stefan waiting there for them. They all got in the car and drove to the boardinghouse to see if they could figure out their plan to attack him.

When Stefan stepped into the house he saw Caroline sprawled out on the couch with 3 blood bags emptied on the floor by her. And he saw Bonnie looking through a grimoire. But they both looked up sharply at the sight of Stefan staring at them.

"Stefan, Elena, Matt, Jeremy, what are you guys doing home?"

"We need to find this spell and we need to find it now." Elena said panic stricken.

"And I thought we could use all the hands we could get." Matt said stepping forward and walking towards Caroline.

"Alright, well everyone grab a grimoire and start looking." Bonnie said handing out grimoires to everyone skipping Caroline.

"What about me?" Caroline said just staring at Bonnie.

"You need to rest, we can do it. You sleep or just lay there." Bonnie said not even glancing at Caroline.

"I'm fine. I can look through a book Bonnie it isn't going to kill me."

"No she's right you need your strength back up we can't have anyone being weak right now. You just rest we got this." Stefan said bringing Caroline another blood bag.

"Okay so what exactly should we be looking for?" Elena asked from behind her grimoire.

"Well, anything about souls, or transferring life force into an object. Anything along the lines of that and we may have found ourselves the spell we need."

"Okay, and Elena tell Bonnie what you were telling me in the hallway at school today." Stefan was saying, to remind Elena that she had an idea before.

"What's he talking about Elena?" Bonnie was looking from Elena to Stefan looking for an answer.

"Well, I think I may have another way to bring Klaus down too, until we find the spell."

"Go on."

"Well Klaus has two weaknesses that we know of. His family, which are god knows where now. And me. Being the doppleganer has its advantages. He needs me and if I can find the way to use that against him I may be able to make him listen. Or I can catch him off guard long enough for you to cast the spell to transfer his soul."

"I think you may be onto something here Elena. If you could think of how to just distract him long enough once we find the spell we can cast it and he won't suspect a thing."

They sat there in the parlor of the huge boardinghouse looking through grimoires looking for the spell. And by the time one of them checked their watch it was 7 at night.

"Should we stop?" Matt was asking from across the room.

"No. I have to find this as soon as possible. And if we all keep looking we should find it tonight." Bonnie was still focusing on her book. She was acting strange she was avoiding eye contact with everyone and she was being very distant.

They continued looking and about an hour later Elena was trying to get everyone's attention.

"Guys come here, come read this one. I think this might be it."

"Here let me see that." Bonnie was reaching for the grimoire that Elena was holding and read over the page that Elena had it open to.

"Well? Is that it?" Jeremy asked closing the grimoire he had.

"I don't know it might be. It doesn't seem to be too clear, all it says is if you have an evil soul at hand you can take care of it with this. But I don't see exactly what it does and what it means."

"It's worth a try, no?" Stefan was getting up from the floor in the corner and putting the grimoire he had on the pile with the others.

"I guess so, but if it doesn't work Klaus's guard will be back up and it will be twice as hard after that."

"It will work. It has to." Elena was whispering more to herself than for the others to hear her.

They agreed on a plan, Elena would bring Tyler into an empty room away from people, and distract him. While Bonnie will be in the closet, preparing to do the necessary spell. With a jar and the grimoire in front of her.

Bonnie, Matt, and Jeremy all left to leave Elena, Stefan and Caroline to feed and rest for tomorrow. But when Stefan handed Elena a blood bag she got a feeling of guilt.

"What's wrong Elena?"

"This is all my fault. Everything is always my fault. Everyone else is always very occupied to save my life. Why?" Elena was looking at the floor when saying this because she didn't want to see the reaction on Stefan's face.

"Because Elena everyone loves you. And no one wants to see you die."

"But if me dying will save everyone else then why should everyone try so hard to save me."

"Elena if you die now, Jenna, John, and Alaric would have died for nothing."

"I know. I'm not planning on dying I'm just wondering why my life in particular is so precious to save."

"Because you are precious Elena."

Stefan gently kissed Elena and they headed upstairs to Stefan's room. Where they shared a very romantic and very intimate moment. And Elena hadn't felt like this since the first time she had sex. And Stefan could see it on her face.

"Why does it feel so different now?"

"Because it's your first time having sex as a vampire. It's going to feel like the very first time. Because you died, your body is pretty much going through your changes all over again. Except this time you aren't getting any older."

"Well that felt really sweet and it was filled with love. And I can't think of anyone else that I would have rather shared that with than you Stefan."

Stefan kissed her forehead and pulled her into his arms and in that position they fell asleep together. And when the sun rose in the morning they both woke up very surprised because neither of them remembered falling asleep in the first place.

They got ready for the day and they went downstairs and drank some blood to be all strong for the day they had ahead of them.

When Elena arrived at school she gave Stefan a kiss and headed to her first class because she knew she would most likely bump into someone on the way. And when Tyler pulled her into the science room she knew this plan was a very bad idea. But she had to do it.

This would finally end the man who killed Jenna and John and Alaric. It had to be done. He had to be stopped.

"What do you want from me now Klaus?"

"Well we didn't get a chance to finish our conversation yesterday and I have something important to tell you."

"What."

"If you and your little witch do not find a spell to turn you into a human again in 6 days, heads will start to roll."

"Yeah, yeah I know. That's old news. Anything else?"

"Yes as a matter of fact. I do not enjoy your body guards. Tell them to back off or every single one of them will die."

"Listen to me very carefully Klaus, you so much as scratch any of the people I care about and I will drive a stake through my heart myself. I didn't want to be a vampire so I will happily take my life. So you listen to me, you shut up and stop threatening me, or heads will be rolling. Your family, and mine. You hear me?"

"You know what Elena? Go ahead stake yourself see if I care, I don't need more hybrids. I have enough. But listen here sweetheart. Don't you ever threaten me again. And also don't do that. Don't talk to me about killing yourself while thinking I'll care. Because I won't."

"That's not true, if you didn't care you would have staked me the second I became a vampire. But here I am. So what does that mean?"

"That means I want you to be human again or this town will rain blood, and all the blood will be on your hands."

"Or you can shut up and sit down and listen to me. I am not afraid of you anymore so don't think I am."

Bonnie quietly creeped out of the closet she was in and started reciting her spell. Klaus jumped and turned around, to see the witch he was talking about saying something that he didn't know. He tried to get up to hurt her but he was obviously in pain. And he fell on the floor screaming in agony.


	7. Chapter 7

"What the hell are you doing to me?" Klaus screamed through gritted teeth.

"We are doing what needs to be done Klaus. You do not deserve to be walking around making other people's lives miserable. You said we have one week to find a spell to turn me human again. Well guess what we were looking for a spell, but not the one you want. I don't want to be human again. Not anymore. So instead we are ending you without killing everyone I love also."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Klaus was still on the floor panting from the pain that this spell was causing him.

"We are capturing your soul in a jar, where you won't be able to harm anyone. And it will allow Tyler to be himself again."

"That's….impossible….." Klaus was losing his breath and he was obviously losing his strength as well.

"Nothing is impossible when you have a Bennet witch on your side."

Elena just sat there and watched Bonnie perform the spell on Klaus so he would not be able to hurt people anymore. She enjoyed watching him suffer like this, but at the same time she hoped that it wouldn't be hurting Tyler on the inside as well.

"Are you almost done Bonnie?"

Elena continued to sit there for another moment watching before she started to get truly worried. This spell could be too much for Bonnie to survive, and if it didn't work they were screwed. But Elena had faith in Bonnie and she knew she could do this. It had to work, or else they were out of options.

"It's done." Bonnie said wiping her nose that started bleeding a few seconds after the spell was completed.

"Did it work?"

"I don't know we will have to see."

They were both looking down at the unconscious Tyler or Klaus, hoping that it was only Tyler and not Tyler being occupied by Klaus.

Elena texted Stefan asking him to come to the classroom just in case Klaus was still in there. And only a moment or so after texting him Stefan walked into the classroom.

"So do we know if it worked or not?" Stefan was saying as soon as he got close to Elena.

"No not yet. He is still unconscious so we don't know who is really in there."

A few moments later Tyler started opening up his eyes. He looked really dazed and very confused.

"What the hell happened to me? I felt like I was dying one minute and the next I was being controlled by someone else. Who the hell was possessing me?"

Elena wanted to be absolutely sure that this was Tyler only and not also Klaus.

"Tyler is that you?" Bonnie asked stepping forward looking at Tyler trying to figure out if it was only him.

"Who else would it be?" Tyler asked looking around the room and looking at Elena for a long time.

"Klaus never died. Bonnie put a spell on him for his soul to flow through your body, so he never truly died, he was just possessing you." Stefan was the one speaking to him, and he was standing in front of Elena in case Tyler or Klaus tried to attack him.

"Well, it isn't him anymore. I feel like I fell asleep and woke up 2 days later not having any memory of what I did or said. It was like I didn't have control over my own body."

"Okay so how do we know if his soul is in that jar now?" Elena was stepping out from behind Stefan.

"I can try holding the jar and try to look at what is inside the jar without opening it. Because I'm afraid that if I open it that his soul will be out." Bonnie said opening her grimoire and flipping through the pages until she found one she was satisfied with and stopped flipping.

She looked over the page until she found the spell that she was looking for. She walked over to the jar and put her hands one on each side and started reciting the spell that she was looking at.

A few moments after she recited the spell that would help her to find out if Klaus's soul was in the jar, Bonnie looked from Stefan to Elena.

"Well, it's in there alright."

"Okay so why the worried look?" Elena was walking over towards Bonnie.

"Well you see he was a very strong vampire because he was a hybrid. If he can figure out how to use the energy around him he might be able to break out of the even if he does that if we put him in an enclosed room with not many ways of getting out, he won't be able to do anything."

"Okay so where should we put him?" Stefan was looking around the room between the faces of worry and panic.

"We can put it in my family's cellar I don't think he will be able to get out of there even if he tried."

"Are you sure?" Elena was turning around to look at Tyler because this would prove that it was Tyler and not Klaus.

"Yeah, I used it when there was a full moon. If it could hold me back I think it should be able to protect us from Klaus's soul/spirit."

"Okay, Stefan and I will bring it there now. Thank you Tyler." Elena was grabbing the jar and heading for the door.

"Anything to keep him from possessing me again."

Stefan and Elena walked through the old Lockwood property until they found the stairs that led down to the old cellar. They got down to the cellar and Stefan placed the jar in a crevice in the wall where he hoped no one would see it. And then they rushed out of the cellar and shut the door quickly behind them.

"So do you think we are safe now Stefan?"

"I want to say yes, but something tells me that since this is a town where history repeats itself, even though we defeated the big bad vampire, I can't say that we won. Something will come out of nowhere and stir up some trouble."

"I know, let's just hope that whatever happens we can handle." Elena was starting to worry, they finally destroyed the bad guy but there could be more trouble on the horizon for them.

"We can. Just look at what we have been through already. We can handle anything. We just all have to stay united. We can't fight with each other."

"Yeah that includes you and Damon." Elena was worried that her decision between the two brothers would ruin them like Katherine did.

"Well I don't have a problem but he might. You should try talking to him and you should see how he truly feels about all of this. You are the only one who can actually get him to talk. He won't tell me anything, he doesn't trust me."

"Do you think he still trusts me though?"

"Elena he loves you, he will be more likely to tell you his feelings than me. I mean just a couple months ago we wanted him to just have feelings, any feelings. And now he does, but you are the only one who can get them out."

"Okay, I'll try. But I really need to feed first."

"Do you want to try hunting? Or do you just want to stick to the blood bags?"

"Just the blood bags for now?"

"Alright let's head home so that we can feed. And by we I mean you newbie."

"Hey, I have more control over my thirst for blood than you did."

"Watch it."

"Or what? I can just run away, I'm fast enough now."

"Don't tempt me."

Elena gave him a little shove and giggled. He gave her his serious vampire look and she ran. She ran as fast as she could and found herself back at the boardinghouse. She didn't even focus on going there, her instincts just brought her there.

And when she turned around to look for Stefan he wasn't behind her anywhere. And when she turned back around he was standing about 2 inches from Elena with a smirk on his face.

Elena didn't jump like she would have if she was still a human, but now that her reactions were faster and she wasn't as scared she didn't jump. Stefan looked impressed that she could contain herself and not laugh or jump at the sudden sight of him standing so close to her.

"You my love need to learn how to fight, not so you can be a bad vampire, just so if someone tries to attack you you'll know what to do."

"Okay, so show me. What should I do?" Elena was getting excited at the sound of learning how to use her new vamp skills.

"Well let's just say someone tries to surprise attack you, you have to be ready to defend yourself at any second. That's where you improved hearing comes in handy." Stefan was explaining to her how she needs to use her better sight and her hearing to help her know if she needs to have her guard up.

"Do I always have to be on guard or if I don't how will I know when I have to be?"

"Well usually as you become older of a vampire you learn to sense when people aren't normal. But for now you'll just have to stick with watching your surroundings. If something doesn't look right or you have never seen someone in your life, you should keep aware."

"Okay. Now when do we start with the action?"

Stefan looked like he was about to start talking but then he stopped and tried to sneak attack Elena. Elena was almost expecting it though she quickly stepped over a little and let Stefan fall to the ground.

"Okay well, you can sense when I'm about to do something. But your actual action won't always work."

"Okay so what else should I do?"

"Well when I just tried to tackle what you can do is step aside but stick out whatever arm is on the side of the attacker."

"So I can hit that said person with my arm? Would I be strong enough?"

"Yeah you have vampire powers, you're about 100 times stronger than you used to be Elena you just have to learn how to channel it and use it to your advantage."

"Like how?"

"Well just try to think of your new acquired strength and you will be able to use it to beat the other person."

"Okay let's try."

Elena started walking to a different spot when Stefan ran up to her to try to tackle her and Elena grabbed Stefan's arm and flipped him over her. He sat on the ground for a second just looking up at her trying to figure out how she did that.

"Wow. Okay you're a lot better than I figured you would be."

"Thanks."

Elena stood there waiting for Stefan to get up and found he was reaching for her legs to try to take her down. So she grabbed his shoulder and pushed him down and sat on him holding his shoulders down.

Stefan arched his back and rolled over so now he had a hold on her. Elena elbowed him in the side and jumped up off the ground to get a better position. He got up and started circling her, she ran full force with her arms out towards him to tackle him but he grabbed her arms and pushed her down.

"First mistake, never have both of your arms fully extended. Because you will most likely be defending yourself against an older and more experienced vampire. And you will give them a hold on you if you have both of your arms extended like that." Stefan said while panting and taking a moment to just breathe.

Elena nodded and told him to continue pretend fighting with her. And he started running towards her trying to take out her legs and she jumped and to her surprise she found she was a lot higher up than she thought she was. And she landed on the other side in a fighting position and ran straight to Stefan sending him at least 20 feet backwards. She definitely caught him off guard, and he was impressed. But she was getting tired and she needed to feed now.

"Okay okay. Enough I need to feed I'm feeling run down."

"Me too, let's go inside I'll grab us some blood bags, you can just sit in the living room and wait okay Elena?"

"Alright."

They headed inside to feed and regain their strength. Elena got into the house and looked out the window and was surprised to find that it was getting relatively dark outside. She didn't remember what time it was when they started but they had been practicing for a while.

When she went into the living room Damon was sitting on the couch reading from a very old looking book.

"What are you reading Damon?"

"My father's journal, well one of them anyway."

"Oh are you looking for something? Or are you just reading it?"

"A little bit of both."

"What are you looking for?"

"Well because I feel as if I can trust you Elena I will tell you, my father had known of vampires for a very long time, which means he used to do research on the originals. And since I heard that Klaus might be stirring up some trouble in paradise, I'm looking to see if there is a way to take him down without killing everyone else."

"No one called you?"

"To tell me what Elena?"

"Well you see we were thinking the same thing, so yesterday when everyone was here you know how we were looking for a spell? Well we were looking through spells to trap Klaus's soul in a jar, and we found one. Bonnie did it this morning, Klaus is no in the old Lockwood cellar in the wall. I thought maybe Caroline would call or something."

"Well thank you for telling me."

"Damon we need to talk."

"About what you made it pretty clear that it's always going to be Stefan so why can't you talk to him?"

"Damon, you know I care about you and I don't want to lose you. I also don't want you and Stefan to get into another 100 year long fight. Damon I need you to be with us. But I can't tell if you are with us or against us because you don't talk to me. You don't tell me how you feel. Please talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about Elena, you chose my brother, so did Katherine. You're a vampire now just like Katherine. You both have fire and you know how to manipulate people. You two are a lot more alike than you think."

"Damon, don't be that way. You know I care about you. That is the difference between me and Katherine. I actually care about you. And I'm not a bitch who puts herself before everyone else. You know that."

"Right now I'm not so sure."

Damon snapped his book shut and threw it on the table. He looked at Elena and Elena could see the deep agony and pain in his eyes. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly.

"What's wrong Damon."

"What's wrong is I don't understand why I always fall for people I know I can't have. And I also don't know why I even bothered because I don't deserve you."

"Don't say that Damon, you are a much better person than you give yourself credit for. You have changed so much within this year. You're a much better person than you were when you first came to town. And you know that. But I just love Stefan. I just really don't want that to ruin our friendship and your relationship with each other."

"Don't worry Elena, our friendship is fine. And as for Stefan and I, I'm not going to go crazy like I did with Katherine."

"Damon, I'm serious. I can't lose you, especially not now. Damon I need you to be open with me I need you trust me. I trust you. And after everything you have done in the past, it isn't the easiest thing to trust you. Please, no lies and no secrets with me?"

"Okay Elena, no lies no secrets, all openness. And don't worry you won't lose me."

"Damon, please promise me you won't go back to being the impulsive crazy guy you used to be."

"Elena I promise you won't lose me. I promise that I won't change and I promise that I will be open with you and trust you. You don't need to worry about anything."

"Thank you Damon."

"But there's just one thing I need you to know. And this time no compelling you after I say it."

"Damon, please no."

"Elena, I'm sorry but I can't move forward until you hear this, I love you. I have always loved you. When I was impulsive and a d bag, you never lost faith in me. You always hoped I would change and get better. Even when I didn't deserve it. And I will never give up on you. I can't I'm sorry but I can't let you go."

And Damon grabbed Elena's head and kissed her very gently and tenderly. And let her go, and Elena was left sitting in the living room alone, very confused. Because she loved Stefan but Damon was this whole new person now and she couldn't deny the facts that she loved him too. She tried to convince herself that Damon was an ass, and that she didn't love him for so long. But now those feelings could be coming back to haunt her. And she was afraid of the outcome. Very very afraid.

"Stefan. Where have you been this whole time?"

"Well I heard that you and Damon were talking so I went for a walk so I wouldn't be eavesdropping on your conversation."

"Did you hear anything?"

"Just what Damon just told you."

"Stefan. I'm really confused now. I don't know what to do."

Elena started crying and Stefan came over to sit down next to her and handed her the blood bag he got for her. And he tried to soothe her and to calm her down so she wasn't so upset.

"Elena, I think you do know. And it's okay, you can tell me."

"No Stefan, I can't because if I start talking about it, it'll become real."

"Well it's real whether or not you want it to be. And it isn't going to help to try to convince yourself that it isn't."

"But Stefan, I can't be in love with him. I just can't be. I mean this is Damon we are talking about here."

"Yeah but Elena you guys bonded while on your quest to find me. You can't deny that he's changed. Maybe you should give it a chance."

"No I chose you and I want to be with you."

"But you need to see if these feelings for Damon are real, and you need to see if you should be with him. Go out with him, I'll wait for you forever if I have to. But I want you to have what you want. And Damon could be it."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Okay. But I don't know how this will work."

"Just try it Elena."

"Alright."

Elena kissed Stefan on the cheek and walked up to Damon's room. She knocked on the door and Damon came to the door surprised that it was her.

"Elena?"

Elena didn't even say a word she started kissing Damon and they made their way to his bed and laid down.

"Wait, wait Elena what are you doing?"

"I need to see if these feelings for you are serious. So I think we should give us a shot."

"Okay. Well slow down. That doesn't mean that we have to get hot and heavy. We need to have a real relationship to see if it's real."


	8. Chapter 8

"I never thought you of all people would be the one to stop me."

Elena was panting because of how soon she and Damon broke their kiss and it was so new so it caused her to lose her breath.

"Well I didn't necessarily stop you I just told you that we have to take it slow. We are testing out a relationship, that isn't only intimate actions you know."

"So you actually want to be the gentlemen and take me on dates and be romantic and sweet?"

"Yes Elena, I want to show you that I deserve to have you and that I'm not always an ass."

"Okay. Well I probably shouldn't sleep in your bed. Taking it slow remember? I'm gunna go find an empty room and sleep there for the night."

"Okay that sounds like a good idea."

Damon tenderly and gently gave Elena a short kiss and sent her to her room for the night. She didn't know how this was going to work but she was starting to think that Damon was a sweeter person than she thought he would be.

Elena was walking down the hallway to an empty room and Stefan passed her on the way.

"So how did things go?"

"I think you could hear it."

"No, Elena I'm not going to listen to any of your conversations. That's not polite."

"Okay. And I don't know yet. This whole situation was kind of a surprise and I still don't know what to think of it. But thank you for asking."

"Of course. Well I'm going to go get some rest for school tomorrow. Goodnight Elena."

Elena said goodnight to Stefan and continued walking to her new room. She thought that it felt kind of strange to not be sleeping in Stefan's room with him. But she needed to not constantly think of things she did with Stefan because it would ruin this whole test relationship with Damon.

When Elena got to her bed she realized that all of her clothes including her pajamas were up in Stefan's room. She took off her makeup and her jewelry and started to head to the door to go get her clothes from Stefan's room. And she hear a knocking on the door.

"Coming." Elena said while closing the distance between her and the door.

She opened the door to find a very upset looking Jeremy standing on the other side.

"Jer, what's wrong?"

"It's Bonnie, she's not well Elena."

"What do you mean? Where is she?"

"Well Caroline and I went over to her house before to give her the grimoires that she left with us and she was unconscious on the floor. And her nose was bleeding. So we took her to the hospital and they don't know what's wrong with her. Damon and Stefan are already on their way to see her but Elena I'm scared. I still love her."

"Okay okay Jer relax let's go to the hospital, and when she is better you should talk to her about that. I think she still has feelings for you too and you two deserve each other."

Elena and Jeremy headed out of the house to go to the hospital to visit Bonnie. Elena ran to the hospital with Jeremy on her back. She knew it would be easier and much faster than driving. When Elena and Jeremy got to the hospital and found Bonnie's room Stefan and Damon weren't there yet.

"How did we beat Stefan and Damon?"

"They were driving I think."

Elena nodded and walked into Bonnie's hospital room. Bonnie was laying in the hospital bed unconscious and looking very pale. She didn't look good, but Elena didn't understand how this had happened. When Bonnie performed the spell in school she looked just fine. But then again so did her grams when they did the tomb spell. Her grams didn't even look sick when she was dead.

Elena sat down right next to the bed and grabbed Bonnie's hand very tightly. She really hoped that Bonnie would be fine in the end. She can't lose Bonnie, not now.

Stefan and Damon finally arrived at the hospital and when they stepped into Bonnie's room they were very surprised to see Elena and Jeremy there already. They all got up and went out into the hallway to talk.

"We have to do something. I cannot let her die, I just can't lose her."

"Okay Elena, I have an idea but you might not be up for it." Damon was the first one to react, it seemed like he always was.

"What is it?"

"You should feed her your blood, it'll heal her and we will watch her all night to make sure that no one sneaks in to kill her like Katherine did to Caroline."

"I will do it. But only under one condition."

"What?"

"You have to promise me Damon that you will make sure she does not become a vampire."

"Okay. I promise."

Elena slipped into Bonnie's room and bit her wrist and squeezed her blood into Bonnie's mouth. Nothing happened, Elena started to get worried. But about 20 minutes later Bonnie started coughing and she started to slowly open her eyes. The doctors came running into Bonnie's room with their clipboards and their notes on her condition.

"How is she awake right now?" The doctor was yelling at the other doctors who were all inspecting her so closely.

"I don't know, she was laying there not moving at all when suddenly she started coughing and slowly opened her eyes. Is she okay?"

The doctors took a few tests of Bonnie and they were looking at each other surprised that they all came back with amazing results.

"She healed very quickly. It looks like she is fine. And she can leave tomorrow morning we just want to keep her overnight to make sure she is stable enough to leave."

The doctor was standing in front of Elena telling her and showing her the results of the tests. Elena felt amazing that her blood could save Bonnie when she was to the point of almost being dead.

Bonnie was just sitting there watching all the chaos and confusion around her. She sat in silence and waited until the doctors left until she talked to anyone. And the first person she talked to was Elena, to ask how she got so healthy so fast. She felt fine now, and she was hoping and praying that it wasn't because someone fed her vampire blood. Because she remembered how that ended when it was Caroline instead of Bonnie.

"Elena. What happened?"

"Bonnie are you okay?"

"Yeah, oddly enough I feel fine."

"I fed you my blood. But don't worry we will have someone constantly watching you until the blood passes out of your system so that you don't become a vampire."

"Please, I don't want this. I don't ever want to become a vampire."

"Neither did I."

"I know Elena, but I can't become one. I'm a witch, I want to stay a witch."

"And you will."

Elena and Bonnie talked for a little bit and then Jeremy walked in to ask if he could talk to Bonnie alone.

"Jeremy go away. I don't want you in here. Please just leave me alone."

"Bonnie please listen to me. I really need to tell you something."

"Fine you have five minutes."

"I love you Bonnie. I'm sorry about Anna and Vikki but that was a shock to me. I never broke up with them they died on me. You have to at least try to understand. But I'm over them now and you're the only one that I want to be with."

"But Jeremy you were kissing Anna, why?"

"It was all new to me, but you have to understand that I never meant to hurt you. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. Everything just happened, and if I could go back and change it, I would."

"Jeremy. I still love you but I feel like I can't trust you."

"You can and if you give me a second chance I will prove to you that you can trust me."

"Okay but if you screw this up you will be dead to me."

"Thank you."

Jeremy walked over and gave Bonnie a kiss on the cheek and she smiled. They sat there and talked for a little while but then Jeremy had to go rest so that he could stay awake while watching Bonnie later on. So they said their goodbyes and everyone left except for Stefan.

Stefan was the first one to be on watch duty, and he was trying to be as polite and friendly with Bonnie as he possibly could. But Bonnie could sense that something was off about Stefan. She sensed that there was something wrong, he was upset, and she wanted to know why.

"Stefan, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine."

"No you're not, I can tell that something is upsetting you. You can tell me."

"I am upset but I don't think it's my place to tell you why. I think that is a conversation for you and Elena to have."

"Why?"

"Because it's her decision her choice, that's why."

"Okay. I'll just ask her later then."

They continued to talk but nothing serious, it was mostly just small talk. And eventually it was time for Stefan to leave and Elena to start watching her friend Bonnie. When Bonnie walked into Bonnie's room she could sense from her first step into the room that something was wrong. And when she sat down Bonnie was giving her a look. The look she used to give Elena all the time to figure out what was bothering her.

"Spill."

"What? What are you talking about Bonnie?"

"Stefan was upset. Upset. I usually see him stressed or confused but not necessarily upset. What is going on?"

"Because Stefan is upset it automatically has something to do with me?"

"Well he loves you so yeah."

"Okay. But I don't know how you're going to take this."

"Just tell me. I can handle it."

"Well, I love Damon. I think I've loved him for a long time. And Stefan told me to try a relationship with Damon to see if it's real. So I'm with Damon not Stefan right now."

"What?"

"Yeah. I know."

"Seriously Elena? After everything he's done? After everything he put you through?"

"I know Bonnie, it doesn't make sense to me either but I have feelings for him and I need to see if they are real."

"I don't think I will ever understand that."

Elena and Bonnie talked about Elena's feelings for Damon for a very long time. Bonnie was confused and definitely not happy about Elena being with Damon. But she had to learn to get used to it because that was Elena's decision not Bonnie's. But Bonnie knew Damon and she knew that Elena was much better than Damon and he didn't deserve her.

"Oh Bonnie did Jeremy talk to you?"

"Yeah we are together again. But how did you know about that Elena?"

"He came to me this morning telling me about how you got into the hospital and how he didn't want anything to happen to you because he loves you."

"Well what did you say to him?"

"I told him that he needed to talk to you about this because you are both good people and you deserve each other."

"You didn't tell him anything else?"

"Well I may have mentioned that you still had feelings for him."

"Elena!"

They joked around for a little while and Elena started to remember the times before her parents died when all they used to do was have fun and joke around. She missed that, but she couldn't hold onto those memories. She was a different person now, she had to move forward. But she couldn't help but wonder what her parents would think of her now.

The last thing she ever wanted to do was disappoint her parents it was like one of her goals to make her parents proud. But her parents had disappointed her in a sense by not telling her that she was adopted. That hurt, knowing that her whole life they knew that but they chose to keep it from her.

She also missed her mom terribly, she needed her mom because her mom was the only one who knew what she felt before she did. Her mom always convinced Elena to do the right thing, even if it hurt and even if there was a chance it would hurt someone else.

And she missed her dad because he always made her feel safe. Like no matter what happened he would get her through it. She was his little princess. And she would miss them forever. But she couldn't stand around and let their death rule her life. She was a vampire. Her best friend is a vampire. Her other best friend is a witch. Her brother has a magical ring that brings him back to life if he's killed by a supernatural person. And her boyfriend and his brother were vampires. Her birth mother was a vampire. Her whole entire world revolved around vampires, and that was never going to change.

She wondered what her life would be like if she had never learned that vampires existed. If she never learned her boyfriend was one and if her best friend never became one. She wondered what it would be like if Bonnie wasn't a witch. Would she be a vampire right now? She couldn't think about what if, because she is a vampire. And she has to learn how to live with it. Well live her undead life being a vampire.

"Elena?"

"What? Sorry I was just thinking about stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Oh you know the same stuff I think about pretty much every day, what my parents would think of me today, what would have happened if vampires were never introduced into our lives, if you weren't a witch. I was just trying to grasp the concept of why my parents didn't tell me that I was adopted."

"Oh, I fell like all of that made us stronger as people though. We were so young and naïve and weak. Now look at us. I can take down a vampire with a single glance, and you are a vampire now. Everything happens for a reason Elena."

"Yeah, but we also wouldn't have gone through so much pain and so many people wouldn't have died."

"I don't believe that."

"Why not?"

"Because you would have been introduced to vampires sooner or later. I mean Klaus was not going to stop until he killed you for his sacrifice. And if I wasn't a witch you would have been dead. So it has its advantages too, you just have to take the good with the bad unfortunately."

"I know. I just miss my parents so much. I miss my mom. She always knew what to do. And I need that so bad sometimes. Like now, with Damon and Stefan. She would know exactly what to do. Even Jenna would know what to tell me, but she's gone now too because of Klaus."

"I know. I just saw my mom after like 15 years. And he took her away from me now too. Because she's a vampire now because of Klaus."

"I know. I don't wish we never met vampires. I wish Klaus wasn't such an ass."

"Agreed."

Elena sat down in the chair by the door and put her head against the wall. She still had like 3 hours of watching Bonnie before Damon came to switch with her. And she still hasn't fed yet. With everything that happened she never got the chance to feed. So she had to wait 3 hours and her veins were already starting to burn.

"Elena you're okay right?"

"Yeah, just hungry."

"That could be dangerous."

"Don't worry I have that part under control. I'm not going to attack you. But I should probably ask Damon or Stefan to bring me a blood bag so that nothing happens."

"You should."

"Alright I will be right back, I have to get my phone from the receptionist in the hallway, yell if anything scares you okay?"

"Okay please be quick."

Elena went to the receptionist down the hall to get her phone so she could call Stefan or Damon. And the lady was giving her an attitude. She wanted to compel the bitch but she didn't know if it would work and if the lady was on vervaine or not. So she was trying to keep herself under control and make sure she didn't do anything she would soon regret.

When she finally got her phone out of the lady she called Damon but he didn't answer so she called Stefan.

"Elena?"

"Yeah Stefan? I need you to bring me something."

"Okay what's that? And how come you didn't call Damon?"

"I did but he didn't answer. And can you please bring me a blood bag? I'm really hungry and I don't want to do anything stupid."

"I'll be right there."

"Okay thanks."

Elena walked back down to the desk and gave the nasty receptionist her phone back. She gave Elena a dirty look and Elena walked back to Bonnie's room. She came in and asked Bonnie if anything happened but all was still good. Elena went to sit down and she caught a glimpse of her hand and her finger was empty. There should have been a daylight ring on her finger. But it was empty.

"Oh no."

"What? Elena What's wrong?" Bonnie exclaimed.

"My ring. It's gone. I have no idea where it is, but it's gone."

"Well you still have a long time before the sun comes back up."

"Yeah but I need to find it too. I have no idea where it could be."

Elena was sitting there freaking out trying to remember where it could be. And Stefan walked into the room and handed Elena her blood bag. Stefan asked Elena if she would mind stepping outside for a moment.

They went completely outside the hospital, and they were standing by the door.

"I found this on the floor in the hallway and thought you might want it back."

Elena looked down to Stefan's open hand and found her daylight ring sitting in his palm.

"Oh my god. Thank you so much!"

Elena grabbed the ring and put it on her finger and hugged Stefan so tightly. When she pulled back they just looked each other in the eyes and Stefan went to turn away and go home but Elena grabbed his face in her hands. She kissed him and he pulled away confused.

"You're with Damon. Why are you kissing me?"

"I-I-I don't know."

"It's okay I won't say anything."

Elena started to nod and looked up to find Damon standing about 10 feet away looking really hurt. "I don't think you'll have to say anything." Elena said and nodded her head to show Stefan that Damon was standing right there.

"Damon-"

Damon cut her off "I get it Elena you love him. I just thought you really wanted to be with me."

"Damon I do. Please don't do this. Damon you know I love you, but I love him too. And I'm just really confused right now."

Damon cut her off by waving his hand and he started walking off back to his car when Stefan and Elena heard Bonnie scream. Damon must've heard it too because he turned around and ran into the hospital alongside Stefan and Elena.


	9. Chapter 9

When Elena, Damon and Stefan reached Bonnie's hospital room it was too late. She was laying still in her bed eyes closed not moving not breathing. Someone killed her while they were outside, someone and they needed to figure out who. It had to be someone who knew Elena is a vampire, someone who knew that Bonnie had vampire blood in her system.

"Bonnie! No!" Elena cried rushing to her bed grabbing her friends shoulders. Elena started crying continuously.

"Oh my god. What happened."

"Someone killed Bonnie. Someone knew she had vampire blood in her system killed Bonnie! We should have never left the room Stefan!"

"Yeah. I would have preferred if you didn't."

"Damon, please not now. Bonnie's going to be a vampire. This can't happen. She's a witch! She'll lose her powers! Do something!"

"Elena there's nothing that can be done. She's dead."

"Yeah and now she'll come back as a vampire! The thing that we have been trying so hard to protect everyone from."

"No Elena. I don't think she will. I don't know if it works like that for a witch."

"But she can't die! She can't be dead."

"Elena, you should go home. Now."

"Damon, I am not leaving Bonnie's side. She has to wake up. She can't be dead."

"Stefan go ask the receptionist if she saw anyone come in here while you were outside."

"Okay. You two stay here and don't let anyone know she's dead."

Damon nodded and Stefan left the room to see if he could find out who killed Bonnie. Stefan walked down the hall towards the desk but there was no one sitting there. He was confused as to why no one was there because there was always someone sitting there all hours of the day just in case something happened to one of the patients.

Stefan was wandering around the hallway looking for someone who might have seen who went in Bonnie's room when they were out. But he couldn't find anyone in the hallways which was worrying him and puzzling him.

Stefan made his way back to Bonnie's room to find Elena and Damon in a serious conversation in the corner with a very still Bonnie Bennet laying in her hospital bed. When Stefan entered the room Damon and Elena both turned to look at him.

"Should I come back later?"

"No it's fine." "Yes." Elena and Damon said at the same time. Damon was saying yes and giving Stefan one of his ice cold glares. Elena on the other hand obviously didn't want to get in the middle of the brothers more than she already was.

"I can come back. I just can't find anyone to ask about who came into Bonnie's room."

"No Stefan it's fine. Damon please. We can talk later. We have to find out who did this to Bonnie."

"Fine. I'm going to go look for someone you two stay here then." Damon said but as soon as he muttered it he had a big seed of doubt. He didn't want them to kiss again, Elena was his right now. His and only his, not Stefan's.

"Damon, go I promise we'll be okay in here." Elena could tell that Damon was hesitant to leave Stefan and Elena alone.

"I know." Damon said as he walked out the door and walked around the halls to find someone.

Damon found one of the nursing assistants walking the other way.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes? What can I do for you?"

"Have you been around room 315 lately?"

"Bonnie Bennet's room?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, I just checked in on her about 20 minutes ago. She was asleep though. And one of her friends was in there with her."

"Do you know who?"

"I think he said his name was John Williams. Do you know him?"

"No. Hmm, well thank you anyway."

"No problem. Anything else I can help you with?"

"No thank you."

Damon walked back to Bonnie's room and Elena looked at him with a surprise expression.

"That was quick, did you find someone?" Elena said getting up to come over by Damon.

"Yeah some nurse, who said she came in to check on Bonnie 20 minutes ago and that she was asleep and that she had a friend in here."

"Did she tell you who it was?" Stefan asked finally making eye contact with Damon for the first time in a long time.

"Yes, actually, she did."

"Well are you going to tell us who Damon?" Elena said from behind Stefan.

"She said it was a man who told her his name is John Williams. Who the hell is that?"

"Oh my god. Elena you were right. There's something dangerous about him."

"Who the hell is he?" Damon said walking towards Elena and Stefan to intimidate them.

"He's our new history teacher Damon. He knows a lot about this town. But I wasn't sure if he knew that vampires existed."

"Well apparently he does. And apparently he knows that you're one Elena. I don't know how but he does."

"He can't know. It's impossible." Stefan said with his usual brooding voice.

"Well he has to know something. What I want to know is who the hell this guy is and what he is." Damon was pissed off and wanted to get to the bottom of this mess. Hopefully he wasn't another Alaric, even though in the end Alaric ended up being Damon's friend.

"We need to find out what he knows and what he is." Elena said reinforcing Damon's previous statement. Elena was worried, enough had happened already she couldn't lose anyone else.

"Yeah we do. But how? Do either of you have a plan?" Stefan said getting a little irritated that Elena and Damon were acting like they were the one who was going to figure everything out on their own.

"Yeah, I'm simply going to ask him. And if he doesn't tell the truth then you two can take over and torture it out of him. You're good at doing that." Elena said, and directing the last sentence to Damon and Damon alone.

"Alright." Damon said making it known that was directed at him and making it also known that he didn't care.

"One of you two stay here and watch her. I'll go look for the teacher." Elena said and started grabbing her stuff to leave.

"Wait." Stefan exclaimed.

"What?" Elena said putting her bag on her shoulder.

"Be careful." Stefan said giving Elena one of his small smiles that a couple of months ago would have melted her heart.

"I will." Elena said returning the small smile and gave a quick glance to Damon who was looking at poor Bonnie in the bed. Is he ever going to forgive me? Elena thought that Damon loved her, he also knew she loved Stefan, he should be a little more understanding.

Elena walked out of the room and was halfway down the hallway when she remembered she had run here. She turned around and walked back towards Bonnie's room and heard Damon and Stefan talking. She stopped right before the doorway and listened.

"I can't believe you would kiss her after telling her to try dating me. Stefan for a long time all you ever wanted was me to express my feelings, you want to know what I feel? Betrayal."

"I didn't kiss her Damon, she kissed me. She doesn't know what she wants right now. All her emotions are still all messed up. You should know that."

"I know. I just don't want her to feel like that. I don't want her to be a vampire."

"Why not? If she chooses you you'll have her for eternity. And believe me she doesn't want this either. You weren't there the day that she told me that she never wanted this."

"But she was yours first Stefan, she loves you."

"She loves you too."

"No she has feelings for me but I don't think she loves me."

"Well you'll have to wait and see."

"No. Because I'm going to tell her that she shouldn't do this. That she doesn't love me, she is just attracted to me. But she loves YOU Stefan, I can tell by the way she looks at you."

Elena couldn't take it anymore she walked in and they both stopped talking.

"Elena? Why didn't you leave?" Stefan was turning around in his chair to face her.

"I forgot that I ran here, and I don't really want to run back. Can one of you two drive me to the boardinghouse?"

Damon and Stefan exchanged a few glances and then Damon nodded telling Stefan to drive her.

"Sure." Stefan said getting up and reaching for the keys in his pocket.

"Thanks." Elena said getting angry with Damon, he was practically ignoring her, all because of one kiss.

Elena continued looking at Damon for another moment and when he didn't look up at her she figured he wasn't going to so she walked out. And Stefan followed her out to his car.

"He's just hurt you know. He still loves you."

"Well I don't really know how I feel right now. I love you Stefan, I don't know if I love Damon. I thought he was different than when I first met him. But he's still the same. And he's immature sometimes. I just don't think I want to be with him."

"Why not? You clearly have chemistry."

"Because I always wanted you. Everything I have ever done has been to save you or help you or I did it with you. Damon lies, he keeps secrets, he doesn't care who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. And I don't want to be with someone like that. I don't want to love someone like that."

"But Elena even if we are together it will never be the same after everything I have done."

"No your right it won't be the same. It will be stronger and better and more healthy."

"What do you mean stronger?"

"Well when we were together and I was a human and you were a vampire, we couldn't have any kind of future together. Now we can spend eternity together."

"Is that what you really want?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

They drove in silence all the way back to the boardinghouse, but Elena could feel the happiness and the love radiating off of Stefan. She missed him. Even though it has only been a day she missed being in his arms and feeling his kisses. And she mostly missed seeing the love he had for her every time she looked in his eyes. She never wanted to be apart from Stefan ever again. And she would do whatever it took to stay with him forever.

When they pulled up to the boardinghouse Elena went to grab her bag but Stefan grabbed her hand. She turned to face him and he took her face in his hands, cupping her face with a soft gentle touch. He pressed his lips to hers very softly but not very shortly. He pulled away smiling and looking at her like he used to look at her before he left with Klaus.

"I miss that look."

"What look?" Stefan asked changing his eyes to a more serious but also playful stare.

"The look you used to give me before everything happened with Klaus. The one where I can see the love pouring out of your eyes."

"Well, it got harder to look at you like that after Klaus, because I changed and so did you. Klaus made me a monster Elena, and you still had hope in me. And I will never be able to clarify how much that meant to me."

"I will never give up on you Stefan. Remember that."

Elena kissed Stefan on the cheek and got out of the car. She ran into the house to get her keys and then ran back out to her car. She didn't even know where to go first. But she decided to try the school first. I mean he is a teacher so he should be there.

She drove to the school and realized she hadn't been to the school after it was over in a really long time. She didn't feel the most comfortable being here all alone but she was a vampire now. She could defend herself she didn't have to worry about anyone hurting her.

She walked through the halls and checked a few of the rooms before she found what she was looking for. Mr. Williams' bag was sitting on the desk but he was there.

"Mr. Williams?" She called out, and she jumped when he answered from behind her.

"Yes Elena?"

"I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"My friend Bonnie."

"Oh her. Well okay sit down then."

"No. You sit down."

He nodded and walked over to his chair and sat down putting his hands up as if he surrendered.

"What do you know?" Elena asked him putting as much meanness into her voice as she could gather.

"I told you in class yesterday what I know. Why do you ask?"

"Because my friend Bonnie is in the hospital and someone killed her. And when we asked the nurse if she knew who went in there she said it was you. Why were you in there?"

"Oh yes that. Well I thought it would be nice to visit my student."

"Cut the shit John. You were there for more than a visit. What did you do?"

"I suffocated the little witch."

"How do you know if she's a witch?"

"The last name Bennet? It's quite obvious."

"Okay but why did you kill her?"

"Because she had vampire blood in her system, and I knew it would cause trouble for you."

"What the hell is your problem?"

"You should have died when you and your dear friend Matt drove off of Wickery Bridge, but yet here you are. And as a vampire none the less."

"So what? Why do you want me dead?"

"Because if you die, Klaus will stop."

"Klaus has already been stopped."

"What? How? That's impossible."

"No it's not, the Bennet witch you killed, put Klaus' soul in a safe place where it won't be able to do harm to anyone."

"Oh. Seriously?"

"Yes. And how do you know about Klaus anyway? And how do you know that if I die he'll stop and what has he done to you?"

"He took my daughter."

"What?"

"He kidnapped my daughter because she's a witch and he wanted a witch on his side so he took my daughter."

"Well if you help us get my friend Bonnie back I'll help get your daughter back. Wait-if your daughter is a witch then are you a witch?"

"Yes. That is how I know everything that I know."

"Okay well you help me get Bonnie back I'll help you find your daughter."

"Fine. What do I have to do?"

"Revive her somehow. Make her a witch again and not a vampire."

"What?"

"Vampire blood doesn't do anything if you kill a witch they die for real. They don't become a vampire."

"I never knew that. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright if you help me get her back."

"Well when I killed her I acquired her powers. So maybe if I can do a resuscitation spell I can give her powers back and she'll be normal little Bonnie."

"Okay. Come now."

"Alright."

Elena dragged John to the hospital and brought him to Bonnie's room holding his arm so he couldn't escape. When they walked through the room Damon was surprised to see her.

"That was quick."

"Where's Stefan?"

"Hunting."

"Okay. Well he's going to help us. He is a witch and he is going to resuscitate Bonnie."

"What about her powers?"

"He'll give them back to her."

"Yes I will. I just cannot do it all in one night. It would be too mu for me for one night because they are both big spells."

"That's understandable." Elena said, walking him over to Bonnie's bed.

He recited something in the same language Bonnie used for her spells. Elena still didn't know what language it was.

He continued reciting it while holding his hands over her heart and five minutes later Bonnie sat up gasping for air. She looked very panicked and extremely tired. And to Elena's surprise she could see that Bonnie had no powers. She could tell by the way her face looked.

"Elena? What happened?"

"You died. But Mr. Williams resuscitated you."

"But why?"

"Because Klaus took his daughter and I told him if he brought you back and gave you your powers back we would help him find his daughter."

"That day in class, I knew there was something off about you but I couldn't place my finger on it. Now I know."

"You're welcome Ms. Bennet."

Bonnie nodded and asked to be alone. Elena told her that Damon would be outside and if Bonnie needed anything she could call Elena. But Elena needed to get sleep. She was seriously tired. Elena was walking down the hall towards her car when Damon stopped her.

"Elena we need to talk."

"Not now Damon. I'm tired. We will talk tomorrow. But yes we do need to talk."

Damon went to kiss Elena but she turned away and he looked at her confused and sad.

"No Damon. I'm sorry. I gotta go."

Elena got to the boardinghouse and realized Stefan wasn't back yet. She wanted to sleep in his room again like old times. But she didn't want to just be in there when he got home so she laid on the couch and waited for him to get back.

When Stefan came in the house he saw Elena on the couch asleep. He walked over and brushed the hair off of her face and kissed her cheek. He awoke her and she just stared up at him through her sleepy eyes.

"Elena do you want to come sleep in my room?"

She dazedly nodded and Stefan picked her up carrying her up to his room. He gently placed her under his covers and got in next to her. She was already asleep so he just kissed her forehead whispering good night and turned the light out.

Elena and Stefan were woken up by Caroline screaming in the morning. They both ran downstairs as fast as they could. They turned the corner to find Caroline being held against the wall by a stranger who was obviously a vampire.

Elena made the first move running to the stranger and knocking them down by surprise. It was a boy, he was young and he looked familiar. The boy tried getting out from underneath Elena but Elena grabbed both sides of his head and twisted. She heard snap and the body under her went stiff. She slwoy stood up keeping her foot on the boys chest.

"Who the hell is that?" Caroline said, completely out of breath.

"I don't know but he looks familiar. I don't know how but he does."

"Stefan inject him with vervaine and put him in the basement please." Caroline said grabbing her neck where this young boy vampire was holding her.


	10. Chapter 10

**I am soo sorry for my lack of updates, I have been sick and I just started a new job. And on top of that I just could not think of how I wanted this chapter to be. I've been working on this for so long. Most of the time just spent starting at the emptiness of this chapter. I'm trying to make it flow and make it connect to the other chapters but for some reason I am having such a hard time. But I will try to start updating more. I will try to make at least two chapters a week until I have 23 chapters. Thank you so much for being patient and taking the time to read this story. It is a work in progress. Thank you!**

"Okay. I'll be right back guys." Stefan bent down and picked up the limp vampire body to bring it down to the cellar so that he wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Caroline who the hell was that?" Elena asked once Stefan was out of the room even though he would still be able to hear her.

"How am I supposed to know? I didn't ask him personal questions, he was too busy trying to rip my heart out."

"Why does he look so familiar?" Elena muttered under her breath more to herself than to Caroline.

Caroline just looked at her, she couldn't offer the answers that Elena wanted so she just shrugged. Elena just looked around the room for a minute or two. Where was Damon? He probably didn't see Elena sleeping in Stefan's bed but Elena still had to talk to him. She couldn't string them both along anymore she had to make a decision and stick with it. No matter what, she had to live with the consequences of her choices. Because it was her choices that led her to this. Her mistakes. And she had to live up to them.

But she wasn't sure that if she really chose Stefan if she would lose Damon forever. And now that she is a vampire forever is a much longer time. Forever actually meant forever, not just the rest of her human life span. And she had to be wise about this, she had to have a plan on what to do for eternity.

Elena was sitting on the couch when Damon walked in. He saw her sitting on the couch and walked over to her with a light in his eyes that she had never seen before. How could she do this to him? She was about 5 seconds away from destroying that light and possibly breaking his heart. She felt so bad, but she just couldn't get past all the horrible stuff that he had done to her.

He went to kiss her but when he was in the process saw her facial expression so just kissed her on the cheek instead. He sat down and put her legs over his. And he was rubbing her leg. In the one spot that killed her, it made her so weak. She loved when Stefan did that. And Damon was doing the same exact thing now and it was making her thoughts start to vanish but she pulled her legs away before they were all completely gone.

"Okay Elena talk. What's up? Since your little kiss with Stefan you've been avoiding doing anything romantic with me whatsoever. Did you make the wrong choice?"

"I think so. And I didn't want to tell you because the happiness I saw in your eyes was new, I had never seen it before. I had never seen you so happy before. And just now with my legs, I was forgetting all my rational thoughts. But Damon after everything I just don't think I learn to be with you that way. I'm sorry, but every time we do something I just think of how Stefan does it. And that's not right or fair to you. I just be all in, but I'm not. Truth is I do care for you but I don't think I love you. I think I was just we bonded while trying to save Stefan and I got an attraction to you. But I really don't think it's anything more than that."

"I understand Elena. It's okay."

"No it's not okay. I hurt you and that's something that even no matter how much you hurt me I never wanted to hurt you. I may have not trusted you but I never wanted to hurt you ever. You have to believe me Damon. And I am so sorry for doing this to you. I should have sorted this out much earlier. But please promise me I'm not going to lose you."

"You don't have anything to lose. And I'm not going to stop being your friend Elena. Not matter what happens with you and Stefan I'll always be here. When it's real you can't walk away. And that's why I understand that it's Stefan."

Elena started to tear up at the memory of those words. How much she would give to go back to that day. She still had Jenna, Caroline wasn't a vampire yet, and Jeremy hadn't lost Vikki yet. She wished she could go back to that day for just one minute just to see Jenna and Alaric again. And when she looked back at Damon she could tell she was crying. She could feel the warm tears spilling over her cheeks. And she saw the concern on Damon's face as he was reaching to brush them off. She let him brush them off gently with his thumb.

"What's wrong Elena? Was it something I said?"

"When it's real you can't walk away."

"I didn't know that I would upset you by saying that. What's wrong with me saying that?"

"Lexi said it to me about Stefan. The night that you killed her. I was just looking back on it. Wishing for just one minute that I could go back to that day."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Everything. Killing Lexi, turning your birth mother into a vampire, not telling you what Bonnie had planned when Alaric was possessed by Klaus. For lying to you, for keeping secrets. For compelling you. For just being and overall grade A jackass. I'm sorry."

"I believe you. And thank you."

Damon got up off the couch and smiled at Elena and then walked away. He seemed sad, and not mad. Elena thought she would have seen him mad. Because she had never seen Damon sad, and it hurt her so much to know that she caused him pain. And then just that moment as if on cue Stefan walked in looking proud, but also understood why she was upset.

"I assume you guys talked." Stefan said walking over to where Elena was now half sitting half laying with her eyes covered.

Elena got up and hugged Stefan very tightly. She heard him cough. She forgot her new strength and she must've hugged him too tightly.

"Sorry. I forgot."

"It's fine. What's wrong? Aren't you happy that you guys talked?"

"Yeah, I just wish it didn't make him so sad. I've never seen Damon so sad."

"That's because he never let you see his emotions, his humanity. He was a monster. But he changed because he loved you and he knew that if he wanted any chance with you that he had to be better. You my love, changed him. I thought I was going to be able to eventually change him, but it was you all along. You were the only one with a chance. You helped change me too, I mean obviously I am not the way I was before I left with Klaus but you showed me to care. You showed me my humanity and you didn't back down, no matter what you were there trying to help. You're incredible."

"All I did was pound you with my emotions and thoughts with hope that it would get through to you. With hope that it would show you that I still love you. And that I had faith that you could become a better person again."

"Well it worked Elena. And for that I cannot thank you enough."

"Just kiss me. That's all I need." Elena said as she leaned forward to show him she was serious about that kiss."

Stefan walked over to her and kissed her gently on the lips. And pulled away smiling at her and looking straight into her eyes.

"Do you know why I instantly fell for you Elena?"

"No. Why?"

"Because when I was with you I completely forgot what I was. You were the most selfless, caring, passionate, beautiful girl that I know. You're personality is amazing and it always will be. You are strong and you are an individual, you were the complete opposite of Katherine. You were beautiful inside and out. She was a bitch."

"I knew that you were drawn in because of my appearance but I never knew that when you were with me I made you forget what you are. And I know Katherine is a manipulative bitch, and in a way that made me want to be even nicer. More selfless and more caring. But now that I am a vampire all that is magnified to the point where it is actually hurting. I hurt every time someone I love gets hurt. Like tonight with Damon. I hate that I upset him. Even though it's his humanity, I am still so upset because of how hurt he was. But I love you. And I just can't be with anyone else."

"Even after everything that I did to you, everything that happened? Even after all that you still love me this much?"

"I love you more. Because your strength shows every day, because you were in your darkest days and you pulled yourself out of it."

"You were a big part of that. By showing me love and making me take the good with the bad."

"I never lost hope. I knew you could go back to being you. All I had to do was push you a little until you felt something. Anything."

"Well it worked."

"Good."

Stefan was about to say something to Elena when Caroline walked in.

"We still have to find out who that is down stairs. And why he wants to kill me." Caroline said clearly irritated that Elena and Stefan were hiding out in Stefan's room being romantic, when someone was out to kill Caroline for whatever reason.

"Well the vervaine affected him but not as much as it would a normal vampire." Stefan said looking back forth from Elena to Caroline.

"What do you mean by that?" Caroline asked, getting closer to them because of her curiosity.

"Well he is either a very strong vampire or a hybrid. Any reason a hybrid would want you dead? Did you do something to Klaus?"

"Well if a hybrid wanted me dead why wouldn't he have bit me instead of trying to choke me?"

"I don't know-maybe he just wanted to hurt you? I don't know. Does Klaus have any reason to want you hurt or dead?"

"Well maybe I rejected him one too many times and it set him over the edge."

"Wait Klaus is into you into you?" Elena asked walking over to Caroline.

"Yeah he said he 'fancies me'."

"When did this happen?" Stefan asked grabbing for Elena's hand.

"The night of the ball when Esther linked her children."

"What did you do when he confessed his love for you Caroline?" Elena chimed in, worried for her friend. If Klaus seriously liked her and she let him down or rejected him too many times he might hurt her.

"Well he kept trying to make small talk. But he was talking about horses. So I told him that I liked people and that they actually liked me so then I went inside. And I think I pissed him off a little."

"No kidding." Stefan said shaking his head in disappointment, and also feeling a sense of worry for Caroline.

"He just makes me so angry and cranky after everything that he's done to Tyler. But I didn't think he would send someone after me to hurt me." Caroline was drinking from a blood bag now because that strange vampire or hybrid who just tried to choke her out weakened her.

"Well what do you want to do about the mystery man down in the basement? The vervaine should almost be gone now if he is a hybrid. Should we kill him?" Elena said, barely getting the last sentence out because she didn't want to kill anyone.

"I don't know because I doubt he will be willing to compromise. And he is obviously somehow associated with Klaus so he is either sired or compelled. So it would probably be the best to kill him." Stefan said looking at Elena worried about how this would affect her. Being that she is new and everything he wants her to be as good as she can be.

"Don't worry about me I'll wait up here. I don't want to see that quite yet." Elena said sitting down on Stefan's bed and waving for Caroline and Stefan to go. Stefan asked if she was sure about this and then started heading down stairs. Caroline followed him but then turned around and walked back over to Elena.

"I can stay up here with you if you want. I know when I first turned my emotions were a mess. And I ended up killing someone and it messed me up. I don't want that to happen to you Elena."

"It's fine, Care- you can go help him. I bet you want to make sure he dies after he tried to kill you."

Caroline nodded and then walked down stairs and saw Stefan waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her. He had a curious look on his face but she just shook her head and told him to keep moving.

They went down to the basement and the hybrid or vampire whatever he is was standing outside the door with a guilty look on his face.

Caroline looked over to Stefan for a clue, she had no idea what to do. He just looked at her and shrugged. They both just stood there looking at the guilty immortal creature. When they all heard footsteps coming closer to them. And when the footsteps reached the bottom of the staircase they all turned to look at who it was.

"Elena? What are you doing down here?" Stefan said stepping a little to the left so that the path between Elena and the mystery man was blocked.

"I decided that I needed to be a part of this because I am a vampire now. I can't be babied forever Stefan." Elena was about to continue talking when she realized the man was out of the cellar and he looked peculiar. She had never seen someone with this much emotion on their face other than Stefan. She then looked to Caroline and saw that Caroline was lost, and she didn't know what to do.

The mystery creature was looking between all three of them as if trying to plan a route for an escape while they talked to each other. But Caroline moved in a little closer to the man and he took a couple steps back. Was he scared of her?

"Who are you?" Elena found herself asking before she could even think about it.

"My name is Ryan. Why?"

"Well you tried to strangle my best friend before so I want to know who you are and what you want." Elena said putting more of her mean girl voice into it for the first time in a long time.

"Well obviously I want her dead."

"Yeah but why?" Elena said getting closer to Ryan. She was good at making people really uncomfortable, she had even used this tactic to get the truth out of Rebecca once upon a time.

"Because Klaus told me to."

"So you're a hybrid?" Elena was closing the distance between her and Ryan, and every time she took a step closer he took a step back.

"Yeah. What else would I be?"

"Someone who was compelled." Stefan said stepping up to the side of Elena, they were getting ready to kill him.

"Do I know you?" Elena asked looking at Ryan with eyes that could kill someone alone.

"My parents were friends with your parents a long time ago. If your parents saw how you are today and who you are they would be utterly disappointed in you. Just so you know." Ryan said starting to stand up a little more.

Ryan looked so young. Elena couldn't place any memories to the face of this young boy who was taunting her. Making her miserable.

"You don't know my parents so I would stop talking if you want to live. Not that you have much of a choice." Elena moved at the speed of light and ran to Ryan, ripped his heart out and turned around to Stefan. She was disappointed at herself. She shouldn't have done that. But it wasn't like he was exactly innocent.

"It's okay Elena. It had to happen. He had to die. He would have stopped at nothing to kill Caroline. He was sired to Klaus you did the right thing." Stefan said stepping forward to try to comfort Elena.

"Then why does it feel so bad? Why does it hurt so much if it was the right thing to do?" Elena said with a shaky voice on the verge of tears.

"Because you are still yourself. You still have your humanity. So it's going to hurt but, don't let it bother you too much. He had to die and you were the one to do it. It's fine." Stefan was closing the distance between him and Elena embracing her in a hug. Something is wrong. This doesn't feel right. Stefan was thinking, he tried to figure out what felt so weird about this all and when he did he quickly stepped back from Elena.

"What's the matter Stefan?" Elena asked through tears.

"You can stop acting now." Stefan said clearly irritated but Caroline had no idea why he was so angry.

"What are you talking about?" Elena said getting closer to Stefan. Stefan turned around and run up the stair case to his room. When he entered he found Elena sitting on the bed looking worried.

"Elena?" Stefan asked walking towards her.

"Yeah?" Elena asked looking confused at Stefan being so puzzled.

"I knew it." And with that Stefan ran back out of his room and down stairs when he got back to Caroline she was still there.

"Oh you figured it out. Good job Stefan. How'd you know? I thought I did pretty good." Katherine said standing up when Stefan came to the basement.

"I knew Elena would never have ripped out someone's heart. No matter how much they deserved it, she would never do that unless she absolutely had to." Stefan said crossing his arms over his chest.

"Good for you. I thought it would be easier since the bitch is a vampire now." Katherine said leaning back against a chair that was in the basement.

"I don't see why you need to pretend to be her. Don't you know sooner or later we will figure it out?" Stefan said pointing at Katherine.

"It's fun. And I fooled you for a pretty long time. What gave me away? The clothes? Or the way I ripped his heart out of his chest?" Katherine said smiling at the memory of ripping out a strangers heart.

"Everything. Plus the fact that I didn't hear Elena come down the stairs from my bedroom. Only the ones that lead to the basement. Now tell me why are you still doing this? And you said you would leave me alone." Stefan was getting really angry that she had to always play games with everyone.

"Yeah that was until precious little Elena got herself turned into a vampire. I said I would let you guys be happy together because I knew she didn't want to be a vampire. And her life span with her luck wouldn't have been too long for me to wait for you. But now she's a vampire, so games on now." Katherine said getting up and running out of the house too fast for Stefan to see it.

"What does she want?" Caroline asked still surprised that Katherine was here.

"Who knows? Probably to cause a lot of trouble with me and Elena." Stefan was saying as he was turning to go back up the stairs and tell Elena what happened when he saw Elena on top of Katherine holding her down with a nasty looking grip.

"Elena no! Don't she's much too strong for you." Stefan said getting really close to them to try to rip Elena off Katherine when he realized that Katherine was actually not conscious.

"Elena move, please. This is for your own good, please move." Stefan said next to Elena nudging her off of Katherine. Elena looked at Stefan and Stefan was extremely upset.

Stefan looked at her and saw a face he knew very well. Her eyes were all red, and the veins underneath them were moving and sticking out. He heard a sound he never thought he would hear from her. She hissed at him. But the same instant that the noise came out of her mouth she returned to normal and looked extremely disgusted. She got off of Katherine and ran up to Stefan's room. Stefan asked Caroline to go up and talk to her while he tried to wake Katherine up.

Caroline walked into Stefan's room to find Elena sprawled out on the bed face covered crying.

"Elena?" Caroline asked walking over to the bed and sitting down.

"I can't do this anymore Caroline. I can't believe I just did that." Elena said through her tears.

"Listen Elena you are a vampire things happen when you first turn that you don't have control over. I killed an innocent man. You're going to be okay."

"No I never wanted this. Never. I can't be this person, I just can't."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I really wish that I was human still. I can't be a vampire. I make myself disgusted. How can anyone accept me if I can't accept myself?"

"But Elena there's nothing wrong. Katherine is a manipulative bitch who deserved it."

"I know but maybe, I don't know, I shouldn't be alive right now. I should have died when my parents died and I should have died in the accident with Matt. I shouldn't be here Caroline. I shouldn't."

"But you can't do anything about it. You have to learn to live with this. You can't leave Jeremy with no one."

"That's the only reason that I haven't staked myself yet."


	11. Chapter 11

"What about your love for Stefan?" Caroline asked looking at Elena with complete sincerity.

"Well that's another reason but the main reason is that I couldn't leave Jeremy without a family. Even if it's a messed up family it's still better than nothing." Elena was crying. She hated feeling like this, but she was going to have to learn to live with it if she was going to live for eternity.

"So you are also alive because of Stefan right?" Caroline was worried that Stefan was listening and getting hurt.

"Yes. A big reason." Elena said realizing that Stefan was in earshot of them.

Caroline hugged Elena and rubbed her shoulders to confirm that she could get through this if she fought hard enough. So no matter what she would always have to fight to survive. As a human and as a vampire she would have to fight for her survival. And when Caroline left the room Stefan entered looking worried about Elena.

It seemed to be a new permanent emotion he had. Concern, he was concerned about everything. How his girlfriend would handle being a vampire because he would not be able to stake her. And how everyone else will react to how she acts.

"Elena. Are you okay?" Stefan asked, with a frown on her face that made her stomach twist.

"Yeah. I'm worried about you though. About how I just acted with you down stairs. I didn't mean for any of that to happen. Stefan I am so sorry." Elena was crying even harder now that she was expressing her feelings.

"Elena. Please don't be sorry. It's perfectly okay. You are new you can't control everything yet. It's okay you just need to practice to keep all those urges inside."

"I know but I _hissed _at you. I _never _wanted to do anything to you. I'm disgusted by the way that I was acting."

"Elena it's okay. When I first turned I killed my _father. _My father Elena. Nothing you do can be as bad as that."

"I know Stefan but still, I did everything I never wanted to do in the past two days." Elena was still sobbing, and she didn't see an end to her tears anytime soon.

Nothing she was being told was making her feel any better. Her actions were still haunting her and she couldn't believe that she had done those things. Stefan tried very hard to comfort her. And it took a long time for her to stop sobbing and for her to come to face the fact that she was a vampire and these things happened. She just needed to give it time and she would be back to the way she was when she was still a human.

It could take a while but she had to be patient if she wanted this to work. She couldn't be that impulsive vampire like Katherine. She had to be Elena, but the vampire version of Elena.

Elena and Stefan laid down on the bed in each other's arms. Stefan wanted Elena to feel safe and at home, he wanted her to try to move past what had happened earlier. He knew that she wouldn't forget it had happened that's why he was trying to talk her into not necessarily forgetting about it just moving past it and trying to move forward and be a better vampire.

"Stefan I love you. Thank you so much. Without you, I probably would still be crying." Elena had finally stopped her tears and she was starting to get up off the bed when Stefan pulled her back down.

"What are you doing?" Elena said through her giggles because it reminded her of when they were sneaking around so Katherine didn't know they were still together. It reminded her of the days where she had it just a little bit easier. Without Klaus she would have turned back to the days when her only problem was Katherine. It was much easier.

"I wanted you to remember that you are capable of laughing still. Mission accomplished. I love you too, but let's not waste any more of the day sitting up here. Let's go out." Stefan was getting up and grabbing Elena's hand to make her get up with him.

"No Stefan, really I don't want to go out today. Not after everything that had happened." Elena was getting up but she was reaching for Stefan's shoulders and was putting on her best pleading look that she could muster.

"Okay. So we won't go out. What else do you want to do then?" Stefan said as he was turning his back to his bed and slowly lying down while pulling Elena down with him.

"Can we just do this? And then for dinner we can go to the grill?" Elena said while hovering her lips over Stefan's teasing him. And pushing all his buttons. She knew exactly how to make him say yes.

"Oh Elena-" Stefan moaned. "Why do you do this to me?" He said with such torture in his voice that Elena had to giggle. She couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Because Mr. Salvatore, I miss this. This intimate side of us. And I would love to just have one day to have time together and then we can go out with everyone later." Elena said inching closer to Stefan's lips teasing him even more.

Stefan couldn't stay back anymore he moved slightly forward and feverishly pushed his lips against Elena. And he found that when they were like this, when they were together like this it made him want to hold onto Elena forever and never let her go. Which was possible now.

"I will do whatever you want because I love you." Stefan said through his uneven breathing. As he pulled away to look into Elena's eyes.

"I love you more than anything Stefan. Please never leave me." Elena was saying with tears in her eyes. She was truly worried. But she had nothing to be worried about. Stefan would kill himself before he would ever leave her.

"Elena I promise you that I will do anything in my power to never leave you. I would rather die than spend one painful moment without you right there with me."

"Stefan, you have no idea how much that means to me."

"I think I do Elena. But I have a surprise for you if you agree to take a walk with me through the woods. No public just us two walking through the woods. There's something I wanted to show you but I wasn't sure when to do it."

"I will go anywhere with you Stefan." Elena kissed Stefan's chest and placed her hand over his heart.

Stefan kissed Elena for a little while longer and then he pulled slowly away. He hated parting with her lips, but this would be so worth it.

They got out of the bed and Stefan told Elena to put on a sweatshirt. He knew she wouldn't get cold but it was just an instinct to tell her to put one on.

Stefan and Elena headed towards the woods and Elena was asking a hundred questions. Just as she normally would. She could never truly just go with him and be surprised. However this time she would not know anything. And he was not about to answer her questions.

They were always the same questions also. Where are we going? What are we doing? What should I expect? Will I like it? But this time she added a new question that made Stefan's heart twist a little bit. This time she also asked him 'why are you ignoring me?' That made him a little upset but he turned to her very seriously and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I'm not ignoring you Elena, I could never do that. But this time I'm just not going to give anything away. It's a true surprise."

Stefan could see a smile forming on the corner of her mouth. She tried to hide it but he caught a glimpse of it. And he smiled to himself, knowing that she was still happy with this adventure. He hoped that no matter what happened she would still be able to smile. That smile made his heart race, she was so beautiful but with that smile on her face she was drop dead gorgeous.

" You will love it, don't worry Elena." Stefan said shooting her a flash of his most impressive smile.

"Anything from you I love Stefan, because I love _you." _Elena smiled this time showing it, and she just looked at Stefan for a moment before they started walking.

Stefan reached for Elena's and entwined his fingers with hers. And he softly rubbed the back of her thumb with his. They kept walking until they reached the exact spot Stefan had planned. He made a makeshift blind fold out of his handkerchief and put it over her eyes. He wanted her to use her newly heightened senses to find what he would explain to her.

"Okay, before the gift we are going to play a little game. I'm going to describe an object that I placed somewhere in this area and you have to try to find it using her new senses. I hid roughly 10 items. I will describe each one in detail and you have to find at least 6 to get your present. Fail and you'll have to do something else for your gift. Understand the rules?" Stefan couldn't help but chuckle at the end of the sentence, he knew this would drive her crazy.

"You're kidding me. I'm never going to find 6 of the things you hid. And even if I do it'll take days for me to find all of them." She was sincerely aggravated and would definitely chew Stefan's ear off complaining about it later.

"Nope. Now let's start. Okay the first item is something you could use on a daily basis, it's long, it has a handle, and bristles. That could range from a hairbrush to a toilet scrubber. It is within 5 miles of the exact spot you are standing. You have 15 minutes to find it before we move to the next item. Go." He laughed and nudged her in the direction opposite from the item. It was a hairbrush, but not only was it a hairbrush it was hers. He hoped that she would be able to sense it since it was a personal item.

"Okay okay I'm going." She started walking in the direction that Stefan had nudged her in but something made her quickly whip around and walk in the direction towards the brush.

"I feel something, I don't know what but I'm focusing on the image of a brush and I feel a pulling coming from this way." Elena explained as she slowly and hesitantly walked past Stefan.

"Follow your gut Elena." Stefan said hoping that she would get closer and sense it and then realize that she can find something with her eyes closed if she just focused.

After a surprisingly short period of time she found the brush and Stefan congratulated her with a small kiss. And started describing the next item, it was a picture frame that held the picture of her, Jeremy, and her parents. That one took a lot less time because it was something she had an emotional connection with so she found it within almost 2 minutes. She was definitely realizing how to use her connections to items, and she was learning to use her heightened senses also.

The rest went pretty smoothly she found at least 8 of the 10 items. And when the time was done Stefan took her somewhere else in the woods somewhere that he knew very well. It was around where his home was. Where him and Damon grew up, the house where only bits and pieces still remained. And he led her through the remains to where he had put a little teal box with a white ribbon over it. She found the box and immediately reached for it.

"Woah slow down there killer. Wait just one second." Stefan took the handkerchief out again and covered her eyes with it while slowly opening the box and getting down on one knee.

" Okay take your blind fold off now." Stefan said while on one knee looking right up at the love of his life.

"Wait what?" Elena was so confused she didn't know if this meant what she thought it meant.

"Elena, ever since the first time I laid my eyes on you I knew there was something special about you. And when we started dating I knew that I could never live without you. And now that I wont have to, I would like to ask if you would please marry me." As Stefan confessed his undying and eternal love for Elena a tear slipped down his cheek but he quickly wiped it away.

"I saw that," Elena teased through her ear to ear smile, "and my answer is yeas times a thousand. Stefan I love you so much and I never want to be with anyone else." Elena stuck her left hand out and Stefan easily slipped the ring right onto her left ring finger.

"But how did you know my ring size?" Elena asked while staring at the gorgeous ring that now took a residency on her finger.

"I have Caroline and Bonnie to thank for that one. They know everything about you and they both told me your ring size in unison. If it wasn't for them I would have gotten the wrong size and it would have ruined the moment."

"Stefan, nothing could have ruined that moment. Everything was perfect because I was with you. I love you so much Stefan and I can't wait to spend the rest of eternity with you." Elena kissed Stefan very tenderly but filled with so much love that it made her tear up.

"I love you too Elena, and I cannot tell you how happy I am that we get to spend forever together either.

They kissed passionately for a moment before someone stepped out from behind a tree and sent both of them into shock.

"Well pardon me for ruining the moment, however I think you are supposed to be human if I heard the rumors correctly."

"What are you doing here?" Stefan said stepping in front of Elena protectively.

"Oh I'm just here to check if a certain individual did what she was supposed to."

"No you were supposed to leave Mystic Falls and never come back." Stefan was secretly nudging Elena signaling for her to run.

"Bonnie was supposed to turn dear Elena here back to a human, so I guess both of us don't know how to listen."

"Well listen to this. Elena is much stronger than you think. And no one around here is going to let you lay a single hand on her. So you're wasting your time."

"Oh don't worry I know every single one you will bend over backwards to keep Elena safe. And it's not her I've come for."

"Then what do you want?" Stefan said taking a step back.

"I came to collect you."

"In your dreams." Stefan picked Elena up and ran as fast as he could to Caroline's house.

"Keep her under your watch, don't let her out of your sight. I have to leave town for a little while. When Elena wakes up, tell her I'll be back as soon as I can and that I love her."

"Will do Stefan, be safe. And come back soon." Caroline hugged Stefan and closed the door behind him and she walked into her room where Elena was sound asleep. She watched over her for the night. Making sure that nothing happened to her.


	12. Apologies

I am so sorry, a lot happened and I didn't have time to finish my story before Season 4 started. If everyone wants I will try to finish.

And November 15ths episode broke my heart /3 if anyone else agrees please pm me on here so we can talk about it!

And if you do want me to finish it please message me and tell me or comment on this post and tell me. I am so sorry that I did not get a chance to finish it before season 4 started D: .


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